Enumclaw council passes six-year Transportation Improvement Plan

Published 2:15 pm Tuesday, June 9, 2026

The start of summer means many things – sunshine, farmer’s markets, volleyball in the park.

But for the city of Enumclaw, it also means planning its transportation improvement goals for the next six years.

The Enumclaw City Council passed its annual Transportation Improvement Plan during its June 8 meeting after a public hearing.

The city’s improvement plan is a list of goals that officials want to meet over the next six years, from finding funding for a project, approving the right permits, and construction.

The list is not set in stone – it’s updated annually and priorities shift based on funding and need – but it’s a requirement from the state in order to receive grant funding, which is often how Enumclaw can afford many of its transportation-related projects.

This is especially true in recent years, as the recent “high rate” of residential construction has tapered off, a staff report reads, resulting in less Real Estate Excise Taxes that are also used to fund transportation projects and other population growth-related improvements around the city.

At the same time, the city often saves money by employing in-house engineers, instead of having to contract out to design a project.

“These changes have allowed the city to put more dollars into actual street improvements rather than engineering and surveying ‘soft’ costs,” the report continues.

Here’s what on the docket for next year and beyond.

2027

Four projects are slated to be tackled next year.

Tied for the most expensive, coming in at an estimated $500,000, is overlaying Roosevelt Avenue between Cole Street and Semanski, roughly a half-mile of road.

The vast majority of funds ($400,000) are from a state grant; the rest is provided by the city’s Transportation Benefit District.

The other $500,000 project on the books is improving Initial Avenue from Railroad Street to Wells Street with better ADA accessibility, like what the city has recently done with Marshall Avenue.

The full cost of the project will be covered by the city. 

There’s another overlay project on 244th Avenue planned, from 44th Street to Griffin Avenue for an estimated cost of $100,000. A state grant covers $80,000 of the total cost.

Rounding out the list of 2027 projects is improvements to the Cole Street and Stevenson Avenue intersection.

This is following a fatal wreck last December and “serious citizen push” to make the intersection safer, the city said.

Some improvements will include flashing stop signs and “bulb-outs” which physically extends sidewalks into a street or intersection and provide additional pedestrian space and visibility.

The city noted this project could be pushed into early 2028.

2028 AND BEYOND

One of the projects on the city’s TIP has been on the list for years – pedestrian improvements on Porter Street, between McHugh Avenue and Thunder Mountain Middle School.

Last year, the project was listed as a 2027 item, but it was bumped back to 2028 on this list.

This is due to funding and other projects taking priority, like the aforementioned Cole Street/Stevenson Avenue improvements.

The estimated cost, $2 million, would mostly be covered with state funds.

A $1.1 million project, also scheduled for 2028, are improvements to Battersby Avenue, from 2256 Battersby to Farman Street.

Another project projected for 2028 is a SR 410 and Semanski Street safety improvements for pedestrians accessing the Foothills Trail.