Ritzville City Council to submit 2018 TIB funding application

The City of Ritzville is preparing to submit seven projects to the Washington State Transportation Improvement Board (TIB) for grant funding.

The Ritzville City Council voted to authorize Mayor Gary Cook to sign the TIB Preliminary Project Funding application at the July 17 meeting.

Council Member Scott Yaeger presented the projects proposed for the application. He noted TIB will provide a 95 percent funding for the projects and the City will pay 5 percent match.

Yaeger explained the first two projects on the application are designated for the 2018 Small City Arterial Program.

According to the TIB website, a classified arterial must meet one of the three criteria to qualify for the program.

The first criteria is an arterial serves as a logical extension of a county arterial or a state highway into the city limits. The second criteria is an arterial must connect to local traffic generators such as schools, medical facilities or recreational areas.

The final qualification is an arterial acts as a bypass or truck route to relieve the central core area.

One of the two projects is a grind and four-inch overlay for a segment of First Avenue, from Division Street to Palouse Street.

The other project is a reconstruction of Weber Avenue and Galbreath Way, from Jackson Street to Fairway Street. The estimated cost of both projects is $967,671 with a request of $919,287 in TIB funding and $48,384 in city match.

Yaeger said the City applied for TIB funding for the First Avenue project last year but did not receive it.

The other five projects were submitted to the Small City Preservation Program. The program provides funding for projects relating to chip seal or overlay of existing pavement and sidewalk maintenance in incorporated cities with a population of less than 5,000.

The first project is an overlay of a portion of First Avenue, from Clark Street to Weber Street.

The second is a grind and two-inch overlay with ADA features on Division Street, from Sixth Avenue to Bauman Street.

Yaeger explained the project is a continuation of work completed on Division.

The estimated cost for both projects is $640,000. The TIB request is $608,000, with $32,000 for the city match.

The next three projects are chip seals for sections of Main Avenue, from Palouse Street to Jackson Street; Sixth Avenue from Division Street to Chelan Street; and Chelan from First Avenue to Sixth Avenue.

The estimated cost for the chip-seal projects is $204,825. The city would use $194,584 in TIB funds, as well as a $10,241 match.

Yaeger said the chip seal projects were submitted in the 2017 TIB project application, but were not approved. He added Main Avenue is due for a chip-seal as it has been a long time since the City has completed one for the street.