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June 2026
From the Assistant Director:
As summer construction season continues across Tacoma, Public Works crews are making steady progress delivering Tacoma Streets Initiative projects that improve safety, accessibility, and mobility in neighborhoods across the city. A key focus of our work is ensuring Tacoma’s transportation system works for everyone. The City is currently updating its ADA Self-Evaluation and Transition Plan and is seeking input from residents, visitors, and workers who experience barriers in the public right-of-way. The survey takes about five minutes to complete, is accessible, and available in multiple languages. Responses are open through July 30, 2026.
Construction is also advancing across the city, including Tacoma Streets Initiative Package #30 near the Tacoma Mall, where crews are completing pavement resurfacing and installing ADA-compliant curb ramps. In addition, the Sheridan Arterial Improvements Project – Phase 1 is nearing completion, with a ribbon cutting tentatively planned for August 22, 2026.
Street Operations continues residential preservation work across Tacoma, using preventative maintenance to extend the life of neighborhood streets while protecting prior investments made through the Tacoma Streets Initiative.
Public safety remains a priority. The City is expanding its Automated Traffic Safety Camera Program as part of its Vision Zero commitment to eliminate fatal and serious injury crashes by 2035. New speed safety cameras will be installed at high-risk corridors identified through crash data and traffic safety analysis, including South Sprague Avenue, Pacific Avenue, State Route-509, Norpoint Way NE, and Portland Avenue.
As we deliver current projects, we are also planning for the future. Through Connect Tacoma: Safe Streets and Sidewalks Levy, the City is working with the community to guide long-term investments in neighborhood streets, safer corridors, and walking and biking connections across Tacoma.
Together, these efforts reflect our commitment to building a transportation system that is safe, accessible, and reliable for everyone.
Thank you for staying engaged and informed.
Corey Newton, P.E.
Assistant Director / City Engineer
City of Tacoma Public Works
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As Tacoma continues delivering major street improvements, the City is also preparing for the next phase of long-term transportation investments through Connect Tacoma: Safe Streets and Sidewalks Levy (Prop 1) will appear before voters on the August 4, 2026, ballot.
If approved by voters, Connect Tacoma would build on existing progress by funding neighborhood street preservation, safer corridors for all users, and improved walking and biking connections across the city. The proposal was developed with extensive community input through a Community Levy Committee, surveys, and public engagement sessions.
Residents can learn more about the proposal, explore project categories, and view how community feedback shaped the plan at tacoma.gov/connecttacoma.
In an effort to improve accessibility in the public right-of-way, Tacoma is updating its Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Self-Evaluation and Transition Plan.
Do you or someone you care for experience barriers when traveling in Tacoma? Please take our survey to help identify barriers, prioritize improvements, and shape a more accessible Tacoma for residents, visitors, and workers with disabilities. Survey results will guide the City's efforts to prioritize the improvements needed to make Tacoma's right-of-way more accessible for everyone.
The survey takes approximately 5 minutes to complete, is compatible with screen readers, and is available in multiple languages.
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Streets Initiative Package #30
  Several residential streets just south of the Tacoma Mall have been under construction. Streets include Railroad, South Prospect, South Steele, South 50th, South 53rd, and South 54th streets. Sections of the pavement have been ground down to allow for a new layer of asphalt over the existing street and new ADA-compliant curb ramps were installed at intersections where applicable. Project details and updates can be found on the Tacoma Streets Initiative Dashboard!
Sheridan Arterial Improvements Project - Phase 1 | Project Website
  Sheridan Avenue has nearly completed major construction, with minor improvements and repairs still in progress. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is tentatively set for August 22, 2026. Visit the project website for more photos of the work and to stay updated on the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
East Roosevelt Avenue Arterial Improvements | Project Website
 The East Roosevelt project has completed major construction! To commemorate the new sidewalks, a ribbon-cutting event was held on June 5, 2026. These sidewalks and the new traffic signal provide students and residents with safer access and improve mobility through new ADA-compliant curb ramps.
📢 Stay up to date!
Visit our website for the Tacoma Streets Initiative to track progress updates and explore what else is planned. To learn more about any of our capital projects, check out the Capital Improvement Plan Dashboard!
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Since the beginning of the year, Street Operations crews have continued delivering on the Tacoma Streets Initiative by preserving residential streets throughout Tacoma. Rather than waiting for roads to fail, the Residential Preservation Program focuses on preventative maintenance that extends pavement life, improves residential streets, and reduces the need for more expensive repairs in the future.
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Continued residential street preservation work in neighborhoods across Tacoma.
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Applied preventative maintenance treatments to extend the life of existing pavement and improve ride quality.
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Protected previous Tacoma Streets Initiative investments while maximizing the value of taxpayer dollars.
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Supported the City's commitment to maintaining safe, reliable neighborhood streets for residents.
By preserving streets before they require major reconstruction, the Residential Preservation Program helps the City maintain more miles of roadway at a lower long-term cost, ensuring Tacoma Streets Initiative funding continues delivering lasting benefits to local neighborhoods.
North Ferdinand Street between North 28th and North 27th Street
South 74th Street between South I Street and South Yakima Avenue
 
As part of Tacoma’s commitment to Vision Zero and the goal of eliminating fatal and serious injury crashes by 2035, the City is expanding its Automated Traffic Safety Camera Program to help address one of the leading factors in severe collisions: speeding.
Automated enforcement is not a replacement for street design improvements, but it is an important complementary tool that can reduce speeds, lower crash risk, and encourage safer driving behavior at locations where serious crashes have historically occurred. Research consistently shows that when automated enforcement is present, average travel speeds decrease and safety improves for all roadway users.
How Locations Were Selected
The expansion was guided by a data-driven and equity-focused process established through state law and City-led analysis. In 2024, the Washington State Legislature expanded the authority for automated enforcement, allowing cameras to be used beyond school zones and red-light intersections to include high-crash corridors and other safety-focused locations.
Tacoma then used a structured approach to identify priority corridors based on:
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Locations with the highest rates of fatal and serious injury crashes
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Documented speeding patterns and speed study data
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Roadway context, including land use and multimodal activity
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Equity considerations and community impact
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Existing camera coverage to ensure balanced deployment across the city
This process was further informed by an Automated Enforcement Task Force made up of community members and City staff, who emphasized transparency, consistency, and the importance of clearly communicating how locations are chosen.
First Phase Expansion Locations
The first phase of expansion includes eight new speed safety cameras at five high-priority corridors:
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South Sprague Avenue (two locations, both directions)
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Pacific Avenue (two locations, both directions)
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State Route-509 (one location, southbound)
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Norpoint Way NE (one location, uphill direction)
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Portland Avenue (two locations, both directions)
These corridors reflect some of the most persistent patterns of speeding and serious crashes in the city and were selected to maximize safety impact where it is needed most.
What Residents Can Expect
Before enforcement begins at new locations, the City will conduct public outreach to notify nearby residents and travelers. Each site will include clear signage and a warning period prior to citations being issued, consistent with state requirements and City practice.
Revenue from the program is reinvested into traffic safety improvements, helping fund additional efforts to make Tacoma streets safer, including engineering upgrades, pedestrian safety projects, and other Vision Zero investments.
Building a Safer System, Together
Automated enforcement is one part of a broader strategy to improve safety on Tacoma’s streets. Combined with roadway design improvements, education, and targeted enforcement, these tools work together to reduce crashes and protect people walking, rolling, biking, taking transit, and driving.
By focusing on the locations with the greatest safety need, Tacoma is taking a targeted, data-driven approach to reducing serious crashes and saving lives. More information on how specific locations were chosen can be found in this ArcGIS StoryMap, which explains the data and process used for location selection: Tacoma’s New Speed Safety Cameras.
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📣 Share
Feedback or Report an Issue
Need to report a pothole or broken streetlight? 📞 Call 3-1-1 or report online: tacoma.gov/311
For more information, visit our Public Works website and for the latest active transportation updates, follow the City’s active transportation team on Facebook (@mobility253) and on Instagram (@tacomamobility).
Questions or comments about active transportation policies, projects, or programs? You can reach us at tacomastreets@tacoma.gov.
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