The city of Port Townsend released its annual Transportation Benefit District report, with city financial data showing $731,985 collected in 2024 to pave and improve city streets.

The reports lists five, first-year highlights, among them: the Discovery Road bikeway, roadway and sidewalk project; hot spot pavement repairs on Jefferson Street, Cook Avenue and Sheridan Street; the Tyler Street overlay and sidewalk project and development of a multi-modal plan for the city’s arterials and the Lawrence Street accessibility project.

The report was discussed briefly at the city council meeting on April 7.

“You’ve got to check out this report. It’s a different style than the annual report, but it’s whimsical, it’s very visual, and there’s a little scorecard of a lot of the direction council gave for the funds,” said City Manager John Mauro. “Top marks to Steve [King] and Shelly Leavens, who threw that together really, really fast.” 

According to the report, the city leveraged Transportation Benefit District (TBD) dollars to access grant funding.

The city’s TBD was established on July 24, 2023, to fund the repair, preservation, and improvement of city streets. The TBD is governed by the Port Townsend City Council, acting as its board of directors.

In November 2023, voters approved a 0.3% sales tax increase to support these initiatives, which took effect on April 1, 2024. The initiative is set to expire in ten years unless the TBD board terminates it earlier. First year collections were estimated at $500,000.

Between April 1, 2024 and Dec. 31, 2024, the city collected $731,985, which equals about $104,569 monthly.

Funds generated are used primarily for street repair and preservation. Additionally, street improvements for walking, bicycling, and ADA upgrades are included. Of the dollars collected, 40% to 60% are earmarked for pavement repair, rehabilitation, and preservation of the city’s 80-mile street system. Privately maintained streets are not eligible for funding.

Twenty to 40% will be used to grant match for projects in the Six-Year Transportation Improvement Plan, according to the report. This investment is intended to leverage $7 million in state and federal grants for streets over the next two to three years. The remaining 10% to 20% will be earmarked for sidewalks, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) upgrades, and neighborhood traffic calming.

Looking forward to 2025, the city reports that TBD funds will be used to leverage grant funding for the following projects: begin design of reconstruction of Lawrence Street between Walker and Harrison streets; chip seal on F Street and San Juan Avenue; completion of the Tyler Street Overlay Project between Lawrence and Jefferson streets; sidewalk repairs; completion of the Lawrence Street project; development of the Multimodal Cohesive Arterial Investment Strategy for 15 of the city’s main streets for pedestrians and cyclists; begin design on a pedestrian safety grant that was secured for SR20 between Logan and Hancock streets; begin design for a pedestrian safety grant for sidewalks and safe crossings on 19th Street between Landes Street and San Juan Avenue; construct a pedestrian safety project on Discovery Road between Sheridan and McClellan streets to complete the corridor and include pavement repair and pavement preservation; submission of a Safe Routes to Schools Grant that will focus on developing plans for safe pedestrian and bicycle access to the three public school campuses and begin design for an Equity in Access Grant that will help install pedestrian safety measures along Sims Way between Sheridan Street and the Haines Place signal.

The report also identified the following limited projects for 2025: hot spot pavement repairs will focus on the Mill Road and Discovery Road intersection, another section of Cook Avenue, and the ends of San Juan Avenue where pavement has completely failed, chip sealing several neighborhood streets and filling sidewalks gaps.