I-205 Corridor Study

Do You Drive on I-205?

If so, you will be interested in the I-205 Corridor Study, from the Columbia River to NE 83rd Street in Clark County. The study will provide answers to questions such as:

• How can I-205/Mill Plain be improved?
• How can improvements to the local road system help mainline I-205?
• Would I-205 auxiliary lanes help traffic flow?
• Is a new interchange between Mill Plain and SR-500 needed?
• Is an improvement to SR-14/Ellsworth possible?
• How would I-205 High Occupancy Vehicle lanes operate?
• How can transit improvements help?
• How can identified improvements be paid for?

Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), the Southwest Washington Regional Transportation Council (RTC), the City of Vancouver, Clark County, and C-TRAN are working together on the study. We'll be asking for your input as the study progresses.

What's New?

After considering several improvement packages, and numerous rounds of traffic operations analyses, a recommended alternative has been drafted to address 20-year transportation needs in the I-205 Corridor. You may now view the draft recommended alternative, here, online.

Citizens Committee

The Study's Citizens’ Advisory Committee (CAC) meets to provide ongoing community input and guidance. At each meeting, the final fifteen minutes is set aside for public comment.

• Purpose, Roles, and Responsibilities
• Meeting Summary: October 7, 1999
• Meeting Summary: November 18, 1999
• Meeting Summary: December 9, 1999
• Meeting Summary: February 17, 2000
• Meeting Summary: May 25, 2000
• Meeting Summary: June 22, 2000
• Meeting Summary: August 24, 2000
• Meeting Summary: September 21, 2000
• Meeting Summary: February 22, 2001
• Meeting Summary: March 22, 2001

The last meeting of the CAC was held on Thursday, September 6, 2001 (meeting summary coming soon). The committee is made up of representatives from the following organizations:

• Burton Ridge Neighborhood Association
• Cascade Park Business Association
• Clark County Homebuilders Association
• Columbia Corridor Association
• East Ridge Business Park
• Ellsworth Springs Neighborhood Association
• ENAG (East Neighborhoods Advisory Group)
• Evergreen School District
• Fircrest Neighborhood Association
• Friends of Clark County
• Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce
• Green Meadows Neighborhood Association
• Marrion Neighborhood Association
• SW Washington Medical Center
• Vancouver Fire Department
• Washington State Patrol

Access Steering Committee

The Access Steering Committee is comprised of expert access decision staff from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Washington State Department of Transportation Olympia Headquarters and Southwest Region, as well as consultant team members, RTC and City of Vancouver staff.

Study Status and Next Steps

As of August 1, 2001, the I-205 Corridor Study is nearing completion and an Access Point Decision Report is drafted. The Recommended Alternative has been, and will continue to be, publicized through various community events, such as the 2001 Clark County Fair (August 3rd through 12th), and an Open House will be scheduled for early September. Please call RTC at (360) 397-6067 for more details or refer back to this web site regularly for updated information.

The next step is to complete the Access Point Decision Report to submit to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) for their approval. FHWA bases its approval decision to grant additional and/or modified interstate access on information provided in the submitted Report.

If the new and modified access requests are approved by the FHWA, then environmental documents will have to be prepared as part of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process. It is only after completion of the environmental process that implementation of any transportation improvements can begin. Additional funding will have to be secured to move forward with improvements.

I-205 Corridor Study Tasks and Schedule
Task	Activities/Deliverables	Timeframe
Project Management	TAC Meetings	May 2000 to Study Conclusion
Public Involvement	Citizens Advisory Committee Meetings Public Information/Input	Ongoing
Data Collection	Complete	Complete
Existing Conditions	Complete	Complete
Transportation Modeling	Develop year 2025 model Modeling of Alternatives "Packages" (up to 4) Technical Memo: Modeling	Complete
20-year "Baseline" Conditions	Technical Memo: No Build LOS/Deficiencies	Complete
Alternatives Analysis	Define Individual Improvements Combine Improvements into Alternative "Packages" Refine and Analyze Alternative Packages	Complete
Access Report	Preliminary Draft Access Point Decision Report Draft Access Report Final Access Report	Preliminary Draft Access Report Complete
Recommended Alternative	Define Recommended Alternative Public Review of Recommended Alternative Technical Memo: Recommended Alternative	Complete
Initiation of DEIS Process	Technical Memo: Environmental Conditions	Complete
Prepare Report	Draft Report/Route Development Plan Final Report	Preliminary Draft Report Complete