I-205 Corridor Study

Citizens' Committee Meeting #3

December 9, 1999
Meeting Summary

Citizens' Committee Members Present

Bryan Halbert, CREDC		Art Stubbs, Green Meadows Neighborhood Assoc.
Ward Knable, Vancouver Fire Services		Gary Thomsen, Evergreen School District
Loyda Timmins, East Ridge Business Park		Tim Schauer, Clark County Home Builders
Joe Gianotti, Marrion Neighborhood		Deanna Balam, Ellsworth Neighborhood
Alex Veliko, ENAG		Joe Kunkel, SW Washington Medical
Tim Schiller, Cascade Park Business Assoc.

Staff Present

Lynda David, RTC		Dean Lookingbill, RTC
Brian McMullen, WSDOT		Kevin Wallace, City of Vancouver
Glen Schneider, WSDOT

Consultants

Jamie Damon, JLA		Cathy Higley, HDR
Hann Lee, Hann Lee Associates

Agenda, 7:00pm - 9:00pm

1. Welcome
2. Impacts of I-695
3. Existing Transportation Conditions and Issues in the I-205 Corridor Study Area
4. Regional Travel Forecasting Model
5. 2020 Baseline
6. Next Steps
7. Public Comment/Close

Impacts of Initiative-695

The state is still sorting out the impacts due to the passage of I-695. The RTC Board passed a resolution at their December, 1999 meeting outlining the region's priorities and NE 192nd was reaffirmed as the region's highest priority project. The Board resolution can be made available to this group at the next meeting.

The status of state funded projects following I-695 is as follows:

• SR-500/Thurston Way Interchange: no funding for design/build interchange project.
• SR-500/112th Avenue Interchange: no funding for construction but will continue with design.
• SR-500, Ward Road to 162nd Avenue: no funding for construction.
• SR 14/192nd Avenue interchange: no funding to construct interchange.
• I-5/I-205 North Corridor Study: on hold
• I-205 Corridor Study: Status is same as last meeting. Pursuing other funds but no new news yet.

It was noted that the group can lobby for support of any of the unfunded projects, particularly 192nd. Local projects are largely funded through federal and local dollars, rather than state funding, so they are not as impacted by I-695.

The City and the County will continue with their projects:

• Burton Road, from Andresen Road to 142nd Avenue: the widening project is fully designed. It is going through resource agency biological assessment.. Vancouver hopes to go out to bid for construction in 2000.
• 87th Avenue - Awaiting final approval from resource agencies conducting biological assessment. Construction anticipated in 2000.
• Monitoring of Mill Plain traffic flow.
• Fourth Plain through Orchards - widening to five lanes, construction likely to begin in spring, 2001.
• Covington Road, from Fourth Plain to 102nd Avenue: widening to 5 lanes likely to be under construction in 2000.
• Padden -West segment (NE 53rd Avenue to Andresen) is likely to be under construction in spring, 2000. East segment from (SR-503 to Ward Road) anticipated construction bid in fall, 2001.

C-TRAN - improvements are on hold. Stopped all capital acquisitions. Service levels are to reduce to 1991 service levels.

Questions and comments follow, with staff responses in italics.

Question: Will C-TRAN projects currently underway continue?

The opening of the Fisher's Landing Park and Ride off 164th Avenue will go ahead.

Question: How does the Washington Department of Transportation budget work?

The WSDOT budget is prepared for a biennium. With passage of I-695, the 1999 to 2001 budget had to be revised through a supplemental budget with significant reductions in revenue available for maintaining, preserving, operating and improving the state's transportation system. The Transportation Commission approved transmittal of the revised budget proposal to Governor Locke and the Legislature.

With the revised budget for the 1999 to 2001 biennium the impacts to the WSDOT SW Region (a 7-county area) are as follows:

• $58 million capital improvement program reduced to $28 million.
• $160 million construction program reduced to $115 million (includes I-5 widening).

SW Region came out slightly better than King County in terms of % reduced budget (yet King County voted against I-695).

Question: Are there dedicated transportation funds?

Only gas tax and some bonds.

Question: Has maintenance funding been preserved?

Highest priority is safety and preservation. The maintenance budget took a small hit.

Question: Where does this funding scenario leave us now? What is the future of this study?

The Study will need to find a logical stopping point (for consultants to prepare a report up to now). WSDOT needs to stick with their directive. RTC wants to keep a February meeting a possibility. Have group put it on the calendar.

Comment: We don't want to go back to the neighborhoods without knowing what is happening with this process. February 17th at 7:00pm is next meeting.

Question: Will local projects with state funds be cut in the future?

No - the money is already granted.

Existing Conditions

Cathy Higley presented information about existing transportation conditions in the study area. Existing conditions that were analyzed included:

• freeways
• arterials
• how interstate operates
• transit
• neighborhood intrusion

Existing conditions data is gathered because it validates outcomes and furthers understanding of what 2020 will be like.

Cathy referred the group to the maps that were handed out at the 11/18/99 Citizens' Committee meeting showing the problem areas today. Cathy noted that the analysis was conducted in April, 1999. Conditions have already changed at some of these intersections due to signalization or revised intersection geometry. As of April, 1999 some of the problem areas include:

• Andresen/NE 78th Street intersection
• 137th Avenue/49th Street intersection
• McGillivray/136th Avenue
• Mill Plain
• SR-500
• 112th Avenue
• 83rd Street at Southbound I-205 off-ramp (a traffic signal has now been added)
• 76th Street/Covington
• Padden (83rd Street)/NE 94th Avenue (a traffic signal has now been added)

Questions and comments follow, with staff responses in italics.

Question: Is noise a part of the existing conditions?

Not at this time, noise would be evaluated as part of any environmental analysis of alternatives.

Question: When will noise, air quality, other impacts associated with existing conditions be evaluated? The neighborhoods are concerned about noise and how it would be monitored for increasing traffic volumes.

WSDOT will check into this. Currently no program is in place.

Question: Movement southbound on I-205 getting on SR 14 seems to be a hot spot also.

It may be just below the threshold. This will be checked.

Comment: If there is any backup at the airport interchange it is problematic for I-205 and SR-14.

Comment: New interchange ramp from Fourth Plain to southbound I-205 changes dramatically in a 15 minute window. It can be difficult to merge with main ramp traffic off SR-500 if volumes are high.

Question: With the cutbacks at C-TRAN, how will that translate into additional trips on the roadways?

We don't know what cuts C-TRAN will make yet; the situation will be analyzed. Some of the threshold intersections could be pushed to Level of Service E or F with C-TRAN cutbacks.

Comment: High accident locations:

• NE 18th Street at 112th Avenue
• NE 112th Avenue between 49th and 51st Streets
• Northbound I-205 at Mill Plain

Comment: The Fire Department representative reported experiencing more calls in evening peak on northbound I-205 near SR500. Most accidents were related to backup of traffic on I-205 not necessarily related to the weave.

Comment: How can this be addressed? The second lane has helped.

Regional Model

Lynda outlined how the regional model works in order to show a 20-year picture for the region. Lynda handed out several items describing the regional model process, assumptions, and outcomes.

Questions and comments follow, with staff responses in italics.

Question: What have been the transportation demand management (TDM) results?

TDM Outcomes as a result of Commute Trip Reduction:

Within 2 percent of goal:

• SEH
• SW Medical Center

Within 6 percent of goal:

• GST Telecom
• Other

Comment: Get Art copies of existing conditions maps.

Question: How are population forecasts determined?

Washington State Washington Office of Financial Management (OFM) population forecasts are used. They supply a range of population forecast (low, medium and high) but over the past few years Clark County has been growing ahead of even the high end of the OFM range.

Question: What are the mechanics of the feedback loop from trip assignment back to the trip productions/attractions?

If trip assignments seem off, you can go back and readjust the trip productions/attractions.

Question: How do bike/pedestrian factor in?

Pedestrian and environmental factors are built into the model as an index which affects auto ownership. Less auto ownership means less vehicle trips.

Question: What are the assumptions for non-Single Occupant Vehicle (SOV) trips in the future?

Future transit is factored in; Transportation Demand Management and the commute trip reduction program is not factored into our model at present. However, the TDM/CTR impacts are analyzed using an additional model. The auto occupancy rate does change in the future model with less occupants per vehicle per U.S. trends.

Question: Can a connected, off road bike system be factored into the model?

Not at this time.

Question: Do we assume that households will make the same number of trips in the future?

Yes. All modeling parameters carry into the future.

Question: How is the model updated?

Through surveys. The last household travel survey conducted in the Portland/Vancouver region was done in 1994.

Comment: Five years from the last update seems to be not very current given the growth rate.

Traffic counts are updated regularly, land use changes are factored in and transportation improvements are updated into the model regularly. Travel behavior tends to not change significantly within a 5-year window.

Comment: There is concern that the 2020 baseline map may not include future assumed improvements.

Improvements are assumed in the model.

Comment: Check on the backup potential on SR 14 back to 164th Avenue. In the morning the interchanges "merge". Will check this further.

Next Steps

The next meeting is scheduled for:

February 17, 2000 from 7:00 to 9:00 PM
East Ridge Business Park