Overview of TIB Grant Programs

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he Legislature created the Transportation Improvement Board to foster state investment in quality local transportation projects. The TIB distributes grant funding, which comes from the revenue generated by three cents of the statewide gas tax, to cities and counties for funding transportation projects. TIB's grant programs are catagorized by the type of customer agency each program is intended to serve.

Application Process

TIB typically issues a call for projects each June for the next year's funding program. The TIB application process follows these steps:

  • Decide which TIB Funding programs your agency is eligible for.
  • Download the appropriate funding application and complete a separate application for each project you want to be considered for funding. Funding applications are made available in June.
  • Submit/postmark your application by the application due date - typically near the end of August.
  • TIB engineering staff will begin reviewing and scoring all applications in September. TIB uses a priority array process for each funding program to identify projects that best meet the intent of the program. Criteria are developed by the Board in cooperation with local agencies.
  • TIB staff present a list of recommended projects to the board at the November meeting.
  • If your project is selected, you will be contacted by TIB engineering staff about what steps to take next.

TIB Funding Workshops

During the call for projects, TIB engineering staff conduct funding program workshops at various locations throughout the state. The TIB funding workshops provide information about the funding programs TIB administers, the scoring criteria for each program and the application process. TIB's workshops are intended to increase the probability of a successful project application. For more information on workshops or to register, see the TIB Training page.

Call for Projects

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IB typically issues a call for projects each June with new projects being awarded in November. The most recent call for projects, for award in November 2024, opens on May 20, 2024. TIB anticipates opening a call for projects on June 1st, 2022, for award in November 2022. More information will be available after the May 2022 board meeting. This year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, TIB will be holding funding workshops as webinars on June 1, 2021 and June 9, 2021. Project selections will be announced at the November 2024 TIB meeting. For more information about TIB Funding Workshops, visit the TIB Training page.

2024 Call for Projects - Anticipated Program Sizes
Urban Arterial Program/
Arterial Preservation Program
$82.0 Million
Urban Active Transportation Program $8.0 Million
Small City Arterial Program/
Small City Preservation Program/
Small City Maintenance Program
$20.0 Million
Small City Active Transportation Program $5.0 Million
Complete Streets Program $30.0 Million
2024 Call for Projects - Schedule
Preliminary call size presented to board May 17, 2024
Applications posted online May 20, 2024
Online Funding Workshops May - June 2024
Grant applications due August 9, 2024
Staff recommendation presented to the board November 21, 2024
Recommended adoption of new projects November 22, 2024

November 2024 Project Selections

At the November 22, 2024 Board meeting, the Transportation Improvement Board selected projects for the FY 2026 funding cycle.
A summary of the projects funded is below.  For more details, view the new project selections on the TIB Performance Management Dashboard.

Program Total Funding # Selected Applications Total Requested Total Project Costs
UAP $72,778,673 28 57 $134,804,357 $306,765,127
ATP $7,891,908 19 35 $17,476,187 $44,542,945
APP $9,637,896 19 30 $9,637,896 $20,031,934
SCAP $5,180,948 9 24 $22,028,388 $39,680,356
SCATP $3,156,231 9 23 $8,881,232 $14,705,287
SCPP $14,704,194 34 74 $31,118,075 $32,427,329
SCMP $2,148,747 17 20 $2,708,885 $2,784,799
CSP $30,030,317 44 80 $61,208,662 $128,135,500

More information on Project Selections

For detailed information on project selections, view the Project Selections section of the TIB Performance Dashboard.

Urban Programs

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he Transportation Improvement Board provides funding to cities with a population of 5,000 or more and counties with urban unincorporated areas through three grant programs: the Urban Arterial Program (UAP), the Active Transportation Program (ATP), and the Arterial Preservation Program (APP). Eligible projects must be located within the federally designated urban area and be in compliance with the Growth Management Act. Projects are selected annually on a competitive basis.

Urban Arterial Program (UAP)

Overview

The Urban Arterial Program funds projects in one of the following bands: Safety, Commercial Growth and Development, Mobility, and Physical Condition.

A maximum of 65 points may be achieved in any one band; the remaining 35 points come from both Sustainability and Constructability criteria.

Program Specific Information
  • Eligible agencies are counties with urban unincorporated areas and cities with a population of 5,000 or greater
  • Eligible projects must be on a federally classified route (principal, minor, collector)
  • Projects must be consistent with state, regional and local transportation plans
  • The local match requirement is determined by the city's valuation, or in the case of counties, by its road levy valuation (Minimum local match ranges from 10 to 20 percent)
  • Funds are distributed across five regions based on arterial lane miles and population

Urban Active Transportation Program (ATP)

Overview

The Active Transportation Program provides funding to improve pedestrian and cyclist safety, enhanced pedestrian and cyclist mobility and connectivity, or improve the condition of existing facilities.

All projects must be transportation related on a federally classified route (principal, minor, collector).

Program Specific Information
  • Eligible agencies are counties with urban unincorporated areas and cities with a population of 5,000 or greater
  • Eligible projects must be on a federally classified route (principal, minor, collector)
  • Projects must be consistent with state, regional and local transportation plans
  • The local match requirement is determined by the city's valuation, or in the case of counties, by its road levy valuation (Minimum local match ranges from 10 to 20 percent)
  • Funds are distributed across three regions based on arterial lane miles and population

Arterial Preservation Program (APP)

Overview

The Arterial Preservation Program (APP) provides funding for overlay of federally classified arterial streets (principal, minor) in cities with a population greater than 5,000 and assessed valuation less than $3 billion. Although the program offers critical preservation assistance, it is not enough to substitute for a city's street maintenance program. Therefore, the program is limited to overlay to defray high-cost preservation projects, allowing cities to concentrate limited resources on lower cost preventative maintenance.

Program Specific Information
  • Rather than a regional distribution, funding is targeted for road maintenance opportunities across the state
  • Local match for TIB funding is based upon a city's assessed valuation (AV). Cities with AV of less than $1 billion are required to match 10%; cities with AV between $1 billion and $2.5 billion are required to match 15%; cities with AV between $2.5 billion and $3 billion are required to match 20%

APP Required Match

To determine the matching percentage required for your city, select from the list below:

Relight Washington Program (LED)

Overview

At the November Board meeting the board voted to sunset the Relight Washington Program. The goal of providing initial capital to convert city's streetlights to low energy LED lights as a one-time grant has been achieved.

All open grants will be paid upon completion, but no new grants will be approved.

Program Specific Information

Small City Programs

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he Transportation Improvement Board provides funding for cities and towns with a population less than 5,000 through four grant programs: the Small City Arterial Program (SCAP), the Active Transportation (ATP) Program, and the Small City Preservation Program (SCPP). These programs fund projects with the intent of providing suitable transportation infrastructure. The Transportation Improvement Board understands that the state's smaller communities do not have the financial ability to fund large transportation improvements; therefore, TIB's programs have been developed to require little or no local match.

Small City Arterial Program (SCAP)

Overview

The Small City Arterial Program Projects that preserve, rehabilitate, or reconstruct TIB classified arterials consistent with local needs in incorporated cities and towns with a population less than 5,000.

Program Specific Information

Required match for this program is based on assessed value as follows:

  • 10% match for cities over $500 million
  • 5% match for cities over $100 million
  • No match is requested for valuations under $100 million

Small City Active Transportation Program (ATP)

Overview

The Active Transportation Program provides funding to improve pedestrian and cyclist safety, enhanced pedestrian and cyclist mobility and connectivity, or improve the condition of existing facilities.

Program Specific Information

The intent of the project must be transportation and not recreation.

Required match for this program is based on assessed value as follows:

  • 10% match for cities over $500 million
  • 5% match for cities over $100 million
  • No match is requested for valuations under $100 million

Small City Preservation Program (SCPP)

Overview

This program provides funding for chip seal and overlay of existing pavement and sidewalk maintenance in incorporated cities and towns with populations less than 5,000.

Program Specific Information

Funds are not distributed regionally, rather, funding is targeted for road maintenance opportunities across the state.

Condition ratings, economies of scale, and assessed valuation of cities are all considerations in amount of funds provided.

Required match for this program is based on assessed value as follows:

  • 10% match for cities over $500 million
  • 5% match for cities over $100 million
  • No match is requested for valuations under $100 million

SCPP Required Match

To determine the matching percentage required for your city, select from the list below:

Relight Washington Program (LED)

Overview

At the November Board meeting the board voted to sunset the Relight Washington Program. The goal of providing initial capital to convert city's streetlights to low energy LED lights as a one-time grant has been achieved.

All open grants will be paid upon completion, but no new grants will be approved.

Program Specific Information

Small City Maintenance Program (SCMP)

Overview

TIB offers grants to our small city agencies for low-cost maintenance. This includes treatments such as crack sealing, pothole repair, pavement repair, fog sealing, and more. Agencies should apply for what is needed to maximize the lifespan of their streets.

This program is meant to supplement current city efforts towards maintenance or encourage cities to start regular maintenance. Cities should administer the projects on their own. Consultant and engineering costs are not eligible.

Program Specific Information
  • Apply treatment only on hard surfaced city streets.
  • State Routes are not eligible, even if they are within town/city limits.
  • Target fewer bid items with higher quantity (city-wide) type work for better economy of scale.
  • Federal funding cannot be used for local match.
  • Engineering costs are not eligible.

For more information contact your TIB engineer.

Other Funding Opportunities

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he Transportation Improvement Board occasionally offers funding opportunities with specialized eligiblity requirements in addition to its regular grant funding programs for Urban and Small City customers.

Complete Streets Award (CS)

Overview

The Complete Streets Award is a funding opportunity for local governments that have an adopted complete streets ordinance. Board approved nominators may nominate an agency for showing practice of planning and building streets to accommodate all users, including pedestrians, access to transit, cyclists, and motorists of all ages and abilities. Agencies with an adopted complete streets ordinance should confirm their eligibility on the TIB eligibility list.

The Complete Streets Program is supported with funding from Washington's Climate Commitment Act. The CCA supports Washington's climate action efforts by putting cap-and-invest dollars to work reducing climate pollution, creating jops and inproving public health. Information about the CCA is available at www.climate.wa.gov.

Next Opportunity

TIB will be offering a Complete Streets call for projects in 2024.