I-205 Corridor Study

Citizens' Committee Meeting #4

February 17, 2000
Meeting Summary

Citizens' Committee Members Present

Deanna Balam, Ellsworth Neighborhood		Rick Sant'Angelo, Friends of Clark County
Richard Bettger, Washington State Patrol		Tim Schauer, Clark County Home Builders
Joe Gianotti, Marrion Neighborhood		Art Stubbs, Green Meadows Neighborhood Assoc.
Herb Heck, alternate for Fircrest and Riveridge Neighborhood Associations		Alex Veliko, E-NAG

Public Present

Paul Edgar

Ron Holstrom, Washington State Patrol

Staff Present

Lynda David, RTC		Dean Lookingbill, RTC
Brian McMullen, WSDOT

Consultants

Jamie Damon, JLA

Agenda, 7:00pm - 9:00pm

1. Welcome and Introductions
2. Regional Transportation Status Report
3. 2020 Transportation Conditions and Needs in the I-205 Corridor Study Area
4. Next Steps
5. Public Comment/Close

Welcome and Introductions

Jamie Damon welcomed Committee members and made Committee and Staff introductions.

Regional Transportation Status Report

The I-205 Study can now continue with $500,000 funding. The City of Vancouver will be the administering agency but RTC will continue as project managers in partnership with WSDOT. The same agencies/jurisdictions will be involved; RTC, WSDOT, City of Vancouver, Clark County and C-TRAN). The workscope will be re-worked to compensate for lost time on the Study and a slightly reduced budget. It is likely work can re-start some time in March or early April after an interlocal agreement has been agreed to by the City of Vancouver council and signed between RTC and the City of Vancouver.

Lynda David distributed two handouts 1) detailing regional transportation priorities from the Metropolitan Transportation Plan and 2) outlining recent funding won for Clark County regional transportation projects from statewide state and federal competition.

Questions and comments follow, with staff responses in italics.

Question: Where does County transportation money come from?

The majority of funding is from the County Road Fund which is funded through property taxes, gas tax and other revenues. State and federal transportation revenues are also used.

Question: Currently, Governor Locke has proposed a $525 million transportation funding package. How would the money be distributed?

Money would go to individual projects. The SR-14/192nd Avenue interchange is part of the list.

Question: Is there anything 'we' can do to help get 192nd Avenue funded?

The Greater Vancouver Chamber is working to organize the business voice. Talk to the Chamber and area legislators. 192nd Avenue is at the top of everyone's list from this region and has received attention statewide.

Comment: Alex Veliko said he had spoken with local legislators and Commissioners.

Lynda David called attention to the map of Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) priority projects. She reported that the prioritization process was carried out in 1998 as part of the MTP development. The prioritization of projects is scheduled to be reviewed later this year. 192nd Avenue is the top priority on the local system and I-5 widening has been a priority for the interstate system. I-5 widening to north of 99th Street is now underway, but the widening of the segment from 99th Street to I-205 remains as a need. Should focus now shift to the I-205 corridor? The RTC Board uses criteria to assess project priorities. Criteria includes level of service, traffic volumes, trips related to employment, economic development, delay and percent funded.

Question: Tim Schauer asked whether failing intersections were looked at in setting the priorities? Is there a basic comparison between failing intersections and how the priorities are set?

At a system-based level failing intersections are a consideration.

Question: Are traffic counts and safety/accident information available to the public?

Traffic counts are available on RTC's web site at http://www.rtc.wa.gov. The web site does not have accident data. WSDOT maintains a list of safety/capacity needs as part of the state's Highway System Plan. The state identifies High Accident Corridors (HACs) and High Accident Locations (HALs). The State Patrol maintains accident data for state highways but not the local arterial system.

Lynda David reported that C-TRAN is just finishing their public outreach relating to the proposed service changes. Alex Veliko said the proposal to close Evergreen Transit Center is being revisited.

2020 Transportation Conditions and Needs in the I-205 Corridor Study Area

Lynda David distributed maps showing morning (AM) and evening (PM) peak hour transportation system deficiency locations in the Study area. She explained that the baseline 2020 transportation system included all conceptual improvement projects identified in the 20 year Metropolitan Transportation Plan except those in the I-205 Corridor (i.e. I-205/Mill Plain to 112th Avenue flyover ramp, changes to SR-14/Ellsworth interchange, additional split diamond interchange on I-205 between Mill Plain and SR-500). These projects are excluded from the analysis. This "2020 Baseline Conditions" shows the worst-case conditions on I-205 because of lack of improvements.

Lynda David also distributed a summary of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)/WSDOT New or Revised Access Report requirements should a new interchange or revised interchange be pursued as part of this Study. This process is also known as FHWA's '8 Point' access report requirements.

Questions and comments follow, with staff responses in italics.

Question: Does the 8-point access report apply if altering an existing access?

Yes.

Question: What if you want to widen the freeway?

Access report not required unless access to the freeway is changed as part of the project.

A general discussion followed on transportation problems and needs in the I-205 Study Area:

Comment: The northbound I-205 access onto SR-500 needs to be further improved.

Comment: Extend the third I-205 lane to 83rd to facilitate traffic existing at Padden.

Question: Did Wal-Mart pay for interchange area transportation improvements?

Yes. Wal-Mart paid for transportation mitigation. The state is not allowed to collect impact fees, however local governments can use impact fees to improve state and interstate transportation facilities.

Comment: Ensure the final version of the current year deficiencies map shows poor operating conditions on SR-14, east of I-205.

Question: How are the impacts of special events addressed in the study? Specifically, how will a downtown events center impact traffic?

The regional travel forecasting model takes land uses into consideration when employment and households are allocated to transportation zones. Some facilities, such as shopping centers, hospitals, large clinics, universities, and colleges are treated as special traffic generators in the model. Also, the zoo, OMSI and airport are treated in the model as special trip attractors. Events at such facilities as the Rose Arena and the proposed downtown Vancouver arena are treated as incidental activities. Much of the traffic generated by such facilities occurs in off-peak hours. The travel model models peak hour traffic activity. Special simulation models, such as VISSIM can be used to simulate traffic impacts from special events.

Comment: Cascade Park Drive has a lot of capacity. Look at whether it can somehow be used to provide an alternate access to I-205 from SR-14. It may be a way to provide a feeder to SR-14/I-205.

Comment: Keep in mind the additional bus traffic that will enter onto 164th Avenue and feed onto SR-14 from the new Fisher's Landing Transit Center. Anything that can be done to alleviate the strain at the 164th/SE34th Street signal should be considered.

Comment: A problem exists on SR-14 caused, in part, by discourteous drivers racing to the head of the line of traffic trying to exit SR-14 to I-205 and then trying to cut in at last moment. This slows down SR-14 through-traffic. A similar problem existed on I-205 at the SR-500 exit.

Comment: An overlook is being planned off 164th Avenue, south of SR-14. It may cause traffic to slow even more because of unfamiliar drivers trying to access the viewpoint.

Comment: Look at providing a direct connection off I-205 to 112th Avenue at the Mill Plain interchange. This would relieve Mill Plain at the critical Mill Plain/Chkalov intersection and provide for northbound 112th traffic. Traffic which wanted to go west on Mill Plain may use this as an alternative route. Joe Gianotti commented that 18th Street would have to be extended to the west if this option were pursued as an alternative to heading west on Mill Plain, or else traffic would have to cut through the Marrion neighborhood.

Comment: "55 Alive" class drivers cite the worst intersection in the region is the ramp off the I-205 bridge to east/west SR-14. Traffic has to slow to below 25 mph to make the turn and merge causing traffic to back up onto the Glenn Jackson bridge.

Comment: Washington State Patrol representatives spoke of the problem areas in the I-205 corridor from their perspective:

• The SR-14/I-205 interchange area is challenging because of the tight ramp curves. This is especially so for large trucks.
• The merge to I-205 southbound from SR-500. Vehicles want to cut over very quickly into the fast lanes and undertake some dangerous maneuvers.
• I-205 to west SR-14.
• Mill Plain backups.
• Northbound I-205 where it narrow from 3 to 2 lanes in each direction (just north of SR-500).
• At the north end of the I-205 corridor near the Salmon Creek Area there are a significant number of rollovers in the median. The merge area of I-205 and I-5 is also a difficult area because cars try to get around slower merging trucks. [Note: this segment of roadway was analyzed as part of the I-5/I-205 North Corridor Study in 1999. This Study was also put on hold as a result of I-695.]
• I-205 southbound, south of Mill Plain. It is difficult for drivers to pull off I-205 to access SR-14 when I-205 southbound traffic heading from Mill Plain is trying to merge onto I-205. A metered ramp may help the situation.

Comment: Explore ramp meters for the freeway to help through traffic. Tim Schauer commented he had read an article which said ramp meters penalize those who live in core urban areas. They can cause back up onto local streets and encourage sprawl. Another comment on ramp meters asked for consideration of how they would impact the coordination of signal timing on Mill Plain.

Question: With the City of Vancouver now contributing directly to the Study, will Mill Plain be looked at differently? Will the focus of the Study broaden?

There will have to be some minor re-tooling of the Study workscope to compensate for a slightly reduced budget. The focus of the Study remains the same, the I-205 Corridor. Mill Plain as it connects to I-205 was a part of the original workscope and will continue to be addressed in the Study. The City of Vancouver has been a Study partner from the outset and is represented on the Study's Technical Advisory Committee.

Question: Have we looked at the impact of Light Rail Transit (LRT) extending to Clark County? The airport extension will bring light rail very close to Clark County.

LRT will not be addressed directly in this Study. However, any solutions identified as a part of this Study need to keep high capacity transit options in mind. In other words, anything carried forward as a part of this Study should not be something that would eliminate the possibility for extension of LRT or some other high capacity transportation option in the I-205 corridor into Clark County at some later date.

Comment: Park and rides need to be considered in the I-205 corridor. They need to be part of interstate corridor plans so they can support future transit, bus or light rail, development.

An additional park and ride is being planned in the I-205 corridor at the I-205/Padden/83rd Street interchange.

Next Steps

Deficiencies maps will be amended to reflect the Committee's input. The Committee's input will be used in Technical Committee considerations. Staff will follow-up with Kevin Wallace or Matt Ransom at the City of Vancouver about the interface between I-205 Study and the Vancouver Transportation System Plan (TSP). The possibility of a short meeting on the TSP was raised or a Memo to outline the TSP. The next meeting date was tentatively scheduled for April 13 at 7 p.m. This will depend on Study re-start timelines and agenda.

Public Comment

How I-5 and I-205 are used together as a system is an important consideration. I-5 improvement plans need to be considered. Light rail should be a consideration in the I-205 and I-5 corridors because buses will be stuck in the congested corridors also. Take into consideration that many airport employees live in Washington.

Question: Are you advocating lesser improvements in the I-205 corridor to make LRT more appealing?

No

The Committee requested that whenever LRT is discussed as a future transportation alternative, the discussion needs to be fact-based not emotion-based.