The TNR is a technical document, prepared by the department of public works, which provides detailed information on county transportation needs. The TNR includes an arterial unit inventory, illustration of TSAs, a prioritized list of county-wide projects needed to meet existing and future demand, the cost basis for the improvement projects, and the technical basis for impact mitigation fees. The TNR provides a flexible basis for regularly updating the county’s transportation needs and improvement descriptions initially defined within this TE. It documents the information and process used to set funding priorities for various categories of improvements the county will pursue towards the year 2035 and beyond.

The TNR document and priority setting process is adapted to the entire county. Categories of improvement projects within the TNR or other public works’ documents that undergo priority evaluation include:

Projects recommended by this TE and included in the TNR undergo priority evaluation with all other county projects. Individual projects are evaluated against other county projects only within the appropriate category. Criteria for evaluating projects and setting priorities vary by category, but generally include consideration of traffic impacts, operations and safety, growth management objectives, and county standards.

The results of the priority evaluation exercise are lists of projects by category, with each category list grouped by low, medium, and high priority. Typically, the transportation projects listed as high priority are advanced for inclusion within the County’s most current TIP, and funding commitments are pursued to implement the projects.

The TIP is a schedule of transportation projects, operations, and maintenance improvements matched to expected revenues that the County anticipates pursuing over the subsequent six years. It is a requirement of state law (RCW 36.81.121) that it is updated annually by the public works department and adopted by the Council. The TIP satisfies internal programming needs, as well as meeting federal and state requirements for regional coordination. The TIP is prepared consistent with the GMA-required TE and TNR. Projects from these documents eventually are programmed in the TIP as they rise in priority and relevant funding becomes available.

Importantly, the TIP serves as the multi-year funding program required under GMA that is part of the basis for administering transportation/land use concurrency requirements. It is used to determine if transportation improvements needed to serve planned land use are funded along with the land development they serve. The annual element of the six-year TIP is the basis for an adopted ACP.

The ACP presents descriptions and funding levels for capital improvement projects that the public works department intends to work on during the calendar year. This document is also required by state law and is adopted by the county council. Transportation and non-transportation capital improvement projects are included with the ACP. In tandem with the county road budget, the ACP authorizes expenditures on projects and is balanced with the annual county budget.

The County’s financial strategy, described within this TE, and countywide project programming efforts should promote effective implementation of the recommended county transportation projects. This process could be adapted, in cooperation with the cities and WSDOT, to apply to all jurisdictions and all transportation projects throughout the UGA. The policy and project recommendations of this TE are a first step towards multi-jurisdiction programming and implementation of transportation improvements.