HomeMy WebLinkAboutRenton TE Update_PlngCommPH-COW_Sept2025City of Renton
Transportation Element Update
September 17, 2025
What is a Transportation Element?
•It is the City’s “blueprint” for how the transportation system will develop to support planned land use growth over the next 20 years.
•The TE outlines the transportation goals and policies, and guides development of the City’s multimodal system.
•This periodic update is required by the Growth Management Act.
Overview & Background
Completed to date:
•Comprehensive Plan Public Outreach: June 2023 -Jan 2024 (CED)
•Transportation-related Public Outreach: July 2023 –June 2024 (PW)
•Notice to Proceed and Transportation Element Kick off: May 2024 (PW)
•Draft Comprehensive Plan reviewed by PSRC, Dept of Commerce, WSDOT: June-October 2024 (CED)
•Public Hearing and Adoption of Comprehensive Plan with Draft Transportation
Element: December 2024 (CED)
•Begin 2025 Comprehensive Plan Amendment to resolve PSRC remaining comments: January 2025 (CED and PW)
Public and Stakeholder Outreach
•TE considers outreach from 2024 Comprehensive Plan activities: citywide survey, Hazen HS youth forum
•TE considers outreach from PW activities and previous studies: Safer Access to Neighborhood Destinations youth engagement, Comprehensive Walkway Plan online and in-person engagement
•June 2024 Planning Commission and public comment period
•Council committee feedback
•Local agency comp plans should assess impacts to its road
network resulting from the land -use growth assumptions
•Forecast traffic conditions to ensure that infrastructure
planning aligns with population growth
•Multimodal levels of service standards for all roads and transit
routes in the local network need to be established and
forecasted
•Long term financial plan demonstrating that projects are
financially feasible and sustainable
•One of the most technical chapters of the Comprehensive
Plan
Level of
Service and
Mode Split
Travel
forecasting and
MMLOS targets
10-20 year
Transportation
Improvement
Plan
Growth Management Act and PSRC Require:
Comments Received
From PSRC and Dept. of Commerce:
Mapped inventories of existing facilities
Travel forecasting and land use assumptions
Multiyear Financing Plan
Mode split goals for regional growth center and citywide
Ensure mobility choices for people with special needs, youth, older
adults, lower incomes and disabilities
From WSDOT:
Include level of service analysis for WSDOT facilities
Incorporate principles of Complete Streets on WSDOT facilities
2044 Transportation Modeling - Land use
•Developed a refined travel model to develop vehicle travel forecasts in 2044.
•This assumes about 24,800 new households and 28,400
new jobs citywide.
•Areas with substantial growth:
•Renton Regional Growth Center
•Rainier/Grady TOD
•Longacres
0
20,000
40,000
60,000
80,000
100,000
120,000
Households Jobs
Renton Land Use Totals
2024 2044
2044 Transportation Modeling – Network
Assumptions
Transit
•I-405 Stride BRT
•RapidRide I-Line
•South Renton P&R
•Bus Access Transit (BAT) Lanes
2044 Transportation Modeling – Network
Assumptions
Vehicle Capacity
•I-405 Express Toll Lanes, 8th Ave access ramps
•Lind Ave/I -405 ramps
•Downtown two -way street conversions for S 2 nd St/S 3rd St
•Grady Way BAT lanes
•Rainier Ave Phase 4-5
•SW 7th St Improvements
2044 Transportation Modeling – Network
Assumptions
Bike & Ped Network
•More walkable streets per the Rainier/Grady TOD Subarea Plan.
•High priority bike and trail projects (Renton Trails and Bicycle Master Plan).
2044 Transportation Modeling – Network
Assumptions
Bike & Ped Network
•Prioritized sidewalk projects
•Half of annual Transportation Benefit District funds collected is dedicated to enhancing sidewalk network
2044 Transportation Analysis
•Up to a 26% increase in vehicle trips expected in the PM peak period, which results in additional congestion on City streets.
•With regional investment in transit, increased land use mix and density, and expanded walk/bike networks, the SOV mode share is expected to decrease by 3%.
•About 20,000 new daily transit trips are expected in 2044.
2044 Transportation Analysis
•Increased trips in RGC such as on Logan Ave N, NE Sunset Blvd, N 8th Street, SW Grady St
•Changes in traffic circulation with conversion to two -way operations on 2 nd/3 rd St in Downtown
•Increased volumes along Oaksdale Ave SW, SW 27th St, and S 43 rd St near Longacres site
Mitigation in the Future
•2044 assumes that signals would be optimized; no further signal enhancements improves poor performance
•5 intersections fall below acceptable Level of Service in 2044 and further mitigation is proposed
•2 of the 5 locations involve collaboration with WSDOT in their ROW
•Continue to implement longstanding planned projects
Next Steps
•Comments received until September 24, 2025
Contact: Ellen Talbo, Transportation Planning Manager
etalbo@rentonwa.gov
(425) 430 -7319
•Deliberations & Recommendations from Planning Commission: October 1, 2025