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Tacoma Streets Initiative

 

 

About the Tacoma Streets Initiative

 

In 2015, Tacoma voters approved Proposition 3 and Proposition A, signaling strong support for repairing the city’s streets. These measures raised funds through a tax increase set to expire in December 2025 and laid the foundation for the Tacoma Streets Initiative, which has effectively preserved and improved city streets through various capital and maintenance projects.

Originally, the Public Works Department anticipated generating over $325 million for street improvements. By 2024, however, they successfully raised more than $371 million, leveraging both city and matching funds.

 

Visit the dashboard for an in-depth layout of funding and project planning.  

 

Launch TacomaStreetsInitiative.org

   

View the Tacoma Streets Initiative playlist for a library of videos related to the initiative including explanation videos on Preventative Maintenance, Overlay and Surface Treatment.

  

Tacoma Streets Initiative Funding

Funding for the Tacoma Streets Initiative comes from multiple revenues streams that are all dedicated to street maintenance and improvements.
  • 2015 Voter Approved Taxes - Proposition 3 (Resolution 39249) collects funds through an increase in property and utility gross earnings tax while Proposition A (Resolution TBD010) collects funds through an increase in sales tax. All taxes associated with the propositions will expire after ten years. Over this time frame these propositions combined are projected to generate $175 million of new revenue.

  • Additional Tacoma Streets Initiative Funding- In addition, these measures would leverage an estimated $120 million in grants and matching funds and the City will commit an additional $30 million. The accumulation of all these sources would raise a total of $325 million for Tacoma’s streets.

Tacoma Street Initiative Projects

In general, work is categorized as Street Maintenance or Capital Projects. Tacoma Streets Initiative revenue will fund street repair and maintenance, safety improvements on residential and arterial streets, freight access roads, pothole repair, bike and pedestrian projects, and school zone safety enhancements.

Street Maintenance- Funds allocated to Street Maintenance go towards activities that are intended to extend the life of a street or rehabilitate the street. With the proper maintenance the City can extend the useful life of a street for the lowest cost. Typical treatments include:
  • Surface Treatment- A layer of hot liquid asphalt is laid down followed with a layer of gravel that is then rolled into the asphalt. This treatment is used on streets that are showing signs of wear and is used to seal and even out cracks to provide a smoother surface.

  • Preventative Maintenance - Cracks in the street are cleaned and filled with an elastic rubber-based material to prevent moisture penetration. This category could also include concrete panel replacement or asphalt repair on some streets.

  • Overlay - The existing street surface is ground down and a two to three-inch layer of asphalt is laid down. Overlays are performed on streets that have outlived their usable life and when they typically require continuous pothole repairs.
Capital Projects - Funds allocated towards Capital go towards projects that are adding facilities to the transportation network or reconstructing transportation facilities. Capital Projects are generally more labor intensive and more expensive than maintenance. When money is spent on Capital Projects the City is able to compete for Federal, State and Local grants that help leverage local funds. Capital Projects could include things like:
  • Major improvements to arterial streets, bridges and freight access roads.
  • Construction of sidewalks, ADA ramps, pedestrian and bike paths.
  • Installation of new traffic signals and pedestrian crossing infrastructure.
For a list of active Capital Projects, visit the Capital Projects website. 

Progress Reports

Every year, the Public Works Department will submit a progress report to detail the projects completed as a part of that year's Streets Initiative Work Plan. View the previous years progress reports:

Future capital projects will be identified through adopted plans that guide investment in transportation infrastructure. These plans include: 

Street Maintenance Projects are guided by data on pavement condition scores which can be found on this map and by coordinating with underground utilities to maximize our investment.

link to the streets initiative survey 

 

Questions?


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Call 311 within Tacoma or (253) 591-5000 from anywhere else.



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