Tacoma City Council Receives Positive Streets Initiative Update

In their Study Session today, the Tacoma City Council received an update on the accomplishments and outcomes of Tacoma’s Streets Initiative over the past ten years.

The Tacoma Streets Initiative, approved by voters in 2015, set out to tackle long‑standing street maintenance and repair needs across the city. With dedicated funding in place, the program has helped revitalize residential roads, upgrade key arterials, and deliver important safety improvements that benefit communities throughout Tacoma.

Across Tacoma, the Streets Initiative has provided critical infrastructure funding to arterial and residential street reconstruction projects; sidewalk and curb construction, including accessibility improvements to meet ADA standards; traffic safety enhancements to improve pedestrian and driver safety; and traffic signal upgrades. Streets Initiative funded project highlights include:

• Service improvements to the Larchmont neighborhood with 18 blocks of permeable pavement, new bicycle and pedestrian facilities, and intersection safety improvements. 
• Transformation of Fawcett Avenue into a multi-modal route with over 20 blocks of new pavement replacing worn street surfaces in the historic Brewery District and new, wide sidewalks lining them. 
• Access upgrades to South 56th Street with nearly four arterial lane miles paved, safety improvements at four major intersections, and safer access points to the Water Ditch Trail, which will connect South Tacoma to downtown and other multi-modal routes.

Streets Initiative funding not only supported local transportation projects—it also helped the City of Tacoma compete for state and federal grants. By providing reliable matching dollars, the City has been able to secure significantly more funding for major capital improvements, bringing in about three dollars for every one dollar invested by Tacoma taxpayers. For more information on what the Streets Initiative funded, visit the Streets Initiative Milestones page or tacoma.gov/tacomastreets.

The City of Tacoma has prepared a new transportation funding proposal, the Connect Tacoma: Safe Streets and Sidewalks levy, scheduled for voter consideration in the August 2026 election. Connect Tacoma would provide a 10-year funding plan to upgrade arterials, neighborhood streets, and sidewalks, and provide better connectivity for all types of travel. Visit the Connect Tacoma: Safe Streets and Sidewalks levy page to learn more on the forthcoming ballot initiative.