Community Involvement

The Transportation Master Plan (PDF, 33MB) included extensive participation and involvement of the community to insure that the needs of all transportation system users were considered and that the solutions would serve our community for decades to come.  The TMP took more than two years to complete.  Throughout the process, community involvement was essential to the project’s success.  The community involvement program included interviews and focus groups, two open houses, a community meeting, newsletter, and a project specific website, email, and hotline connections.   

Citizen's Task Force 

A citizen’s Task Force was formed to provide input and accountability throughout the development of the TMP.  Task Force members were selected to provide broad representation of Kent’s transportation network stakeholders, including businesses, industrial and manufacturing concerns, the school district, developers, and a diverse cross-section of residents.  Through a series of seven meetings, they reviewed everything from existing issues and conditions, pedestrian and bicycle needs, draft recommendations, and transportation funding options.   

Stakeholder Interviews, Newsletters, and Comment Forms  

Interviews and targeted focus groups included neighborhood groups, businesses, developers, industry and manufacturing, and the school district. Two TMP newsletters were mailed to keep Kent residents informed of the TMP’s progress.  Throughout the process a Comment Response Form was available to allow the community to identify transportation needs and preferences.  More than 1000 responses were received.  

Street Network

Streets are the backbone of our transportation system.  A good roadway network helps other community functions operate smoothly. To accomplish this, we must be proactive in planning for our future needs.  

The Transportation Master Plan (TMP) provides a complete view of existing and future conditions and roadway needs. We have evaluated travel times, congestion points, travel barriers, safety concerns, and the need for better connectivity to and from Kent to regional destinations, including other south King County communities. The Street Improvements include Intersections, Streets, and Railroad Grade Separations. The TMP includes recommendations for 24 Street, 21 Intersection, and 6 Grade Separation projects (PDF, 612 KB).  

Extensive planning and careful background work has gone into developing these draft recommendations, including updating transportation computer models with current traffic counts and traffic forecast data for years 2015 and 2030 based on Puget Sound Regional Council growth projections and integrating the City’s Comprehensive Land Use Plan (PDF, 18MB). 

Transit

Kent is dedicated to providing an integrated transportation network to offer viable alternative modes of transportation, including transit opportunities.  

The Kent Transportation Master Plan Transit Study (PDF, 11MB) recommends service improvements that provide local circulation in the City of Kent and that connect Kent residents to other regional communities. This effort was initiated by the City as part of a multi-modal Transportation Master Plan effort. 

Transit and Shuttle Services 

Find links for catching a bus or train in Kent.  Discover how shuttle service helps shoppers, commuters, and others get around town.  

Bicycles and Pedestrians

The City is committed to providing the benefits of walking and cycling by supporting pedestrian and bicycle travel.   Kent is dedicated to safely connecting pedestrians and bicyclists to key destinations, such as parks, schools, downtown, and local businesses.  

The Non-motorized Transportation Study (PDF, 38MB) provides a comprehensive strategy to enhance the urban area pedestrian and bicycle system. This effort was initiated by the City as part of a multi-modal Transportation Master Plan effort.  

Discover how the City plans to meet the needs of the pedestrian community over the next 20 years.  

Learn about the prioritization process and the different types of bicycle improvements included in the TMP. 

Funding the Plan

The Transportation Master Plan (TMP) is the blueprint to our future, and developing the draft recommendations in the plan has required more than a year of careful study and planning. To implement all of the recommendations would cost between $511 million and $595 million, spread out over the next 23 years. 

As shown in the pie chart, most of the costs of the recommended projects are associated with improvements to street segments. Although standalone pedestrian and bicycle facilities make up only about 7 percent of cost, the proposed street projects include up to 15 miles of new sidewalks and up to 16 miles of new bicycle lanes. 

The funding for public transit projects might look like a very small portion of the total costs, but much of the funding for such projects does not appear on this chart because it will come from outside agencies such as Metro and Sound Transit. 

There are a number of funding options that can be used to pay for the projects. Kent is responsible and responsive to our tax payers, and together, we will find financially sound options to meet our future needs. With this mind, here are some of the possible revenue sources the Kent City Council may consider: 

• Local committed funding 
• Federal and state grants 
• Local improvement districts 
• Street Fund 
• Development impact fees 
• Business license fee 
• Voter general obligation bonds 
• Real estate excise tax 
• Utility taxes 
• Motor vehicle fuel tax