Kenmore Sound

Infrastructure · Occurred · Outcome pending · Sep 28, 2026

Kenmore to weigh WSDOT cost-share agreement for joint culvert grant application at NE 175th/SR 522

Kenmore's Council is scheduled to consider Agreement GCC 1437 with WSDOT, splitting the cost of a joint federal grant application for fish-passage culvert work at NE 175th Street and SR 522. 1

What the records say

At its September 28, 2026, 7:00 PM regular meeting, the Kenmore City Council has a consent agenda item to approve Agreement GCC 1437 with the Washington State Department of Transportation and authorize the city manager to sign it. The agreement is a 50/50 cost-share for preparing a revised joint application to the federal Culvert Aquatic Organism Passage (AOP) grant program, administered by the Federal Highway Administration. The City and WSDOT each have fish-barrier correction projects on Cat Whisker Creek — the City's culvert replacement at NE 175th Street and WSDOT's at SR 522 — and the parties determined a joint application would improve both projects' chances of an award. A similar 2024 agreement covered a prior application; awards were not announced for that round, and the funding opportunity was reissued in June 2026. 1

  • The September 28, 2026, 7:00 PM Council meeting consent agenda includes an item to approve Agreement GCC 1437 between the City of Kenmore and WSDOT and authorize the city manager to sign it.
  • The agreement covers a 50/50 cost-share for the City's work preparing a joint application to FHWA's National Culvert Removal, Replacement, and Restoration (Culvert AOP) grant program; WSDOT will submit the final application.
  • The estimated cost of the application work is $22,226, with WSDOT paying $11,113 and a 25% contingency that could raise WSDOT's maximum payment to $13,891.
  • If awarded, the grant would provide $5 million for the City's NE 175th Street culvert project and $10 million for WSDOT's SR 522 culvert project.
  • The City and WSDOT entered a similar cost-share agreement in 2024 for the same grant; awards were not announced for that round, and the opportunity was reissued in June 2026 with a six-week window to reapply.

Why it matters

If the joint application is awarded, the grant would provide $5 million toward the City's planned stream culvert replacement at NE 175th Street and $10 million toward WSDOT's adjacent culvert project at SR 522, per the agenda bill. WSDOT's project is being carried out in compliance with a federal court injunction regarding culvert correction, and the City's project ranked 5th of 56 barriers in a 2022 fish-barrier prioritization study. Without the agreement, the City would bear the full estimated application cost of about $22,226; with it, WSDOT reimburses half. 1

What changed / what's next

  • The Kenmore City Council agenda for September 28, 2026, now includes a consent agenda item to approve the WSDOT cost-share agreement (GCC 1437) for a joint federal culvert grant application covering fish-passage work at NE 175th Street and SR 522. 1
  • This is pre-meeting agenda evidence; the packet does not establish whether the Council approved the agreement on September 28.
  • The grant award itself is pending and not guaranteed; the 2024 application round produced no announced awards.
  • The available records do not establish the meeting's outcome.