We are pleased to announce the next major milestone for the Local Road Program: the program is now open for applications!
At our board meeting last week, the proposed WAC rules were reviewed and approved and a call for projects has been authorized.
Background
At 48,917 lane miles, county local roads are 2.5 times bigger than the entire state highway system and provide primary access to residential, industrial, agricultural, and commercial areas in all 39 counties.
Unfortunately, due to declining gas tax revenues, increasing inflationary pressures, and decades of underinvestment in preservation in maintenance by the state, counties have been in no position to address significant projects on these roads and there has been no dedicated grant funding source to help.
Based on the recommendations of a 2024 study, the County Road Administration Board proposed, with the support of our county partners, a new program for the first time in 30 years: a competitive grant program for local roads flexible enough to meet the diverse needs of counties. The legislature agreed, creating the program and providing $21 million in much needed funding for the 2027-2029 biennium.
Since then, we have been hard at work behind the scenes to stand up the program so our counties are ready to break ground in Summer 2027:
- New Staff: In October 2025 we brought on Todd O' Brien, PE to manage the program. He comes to the agency with decades of experience in county public works and grant experience.
- New Rules: Our staff drafted WAC rules for a well-rounded, straightforward program for our board's approval in January. We took many aspects of what has made the RAP Program successful over the last 40 years in building the application process. It will help us demonstrate and quantify the need for the program for policymakers as we request short-term funding as we stand up the program and fully funding it at the requested $40 million level for the 2027-2029 biennium.
- New Technology: Using the same platform as the agency uses for other reporting and grant applications, an application form is being developed for using in future calls for proposals.
- Lots of Communication: Todd and staff have been hitting the road to meet with counties and stakeholders, solicit feedback, and answer questions about the program as it is being developed. Additional information will be added below as it becomes available.
More About the Call for Projects
The program is available to all 39 counties in compliance with the Standards of Good Practice, demonstrated by a current Certificate of Good Practice or Conditional Certificate of Good Practice.
For the 2026 call for projects two project types will be prioritized, with 60% of the appropriation going to 2R projects and 40% going toward pedestrian projects.
For 2R projects, 67% of the appropriation will go toward rural areas with an FFC 09 and 33% toward urban areas with a FFC 19. For pedestrian projects, 75% of the appropriation will go toward urban areas and 25% of the appropriation toward rural areas.
Applications are due by April 1st at 5:00pm. Additional grant details are available on our Local Road Program page and we are happy to assist with any questions.
While there is no limit on the number of projects a county can submit applications for, the total award limit for counties will be $1.5 million and whole project funding will be prioritized to facilitate completion within the 27-29 biennium. We strongly encourage counties to not limit their applications in quantity or funding needs; however, as we want to demonstrate the strong demand for program funding to policymakers.
Virtual Support Hour on March 4th at 1:00pm
We will be holding a casual open office support hour on Teams with Todd O' Brien for you to bring any questions you have on your application or the application process.
Thank you to our partners for all of your support during this process and we look forward to projects breaking ground July 1, 2027!
Jacque Netzer
Communications Director