High Capacity Transit System Study

Are Clark County’s roads and highways too congested?
Do you spend too much time in your car? 
How should Clark County address future high capacity transit needs? 

To begin to address these issues, the Southwest Washington Regional Transportation Council (RTC) is partnering with local jurisdictions and agencies to study Clark County’s future high capacity transit (HCT) options. Through the Clark County High Capacity Transit System Study, Moving People – Connecting Our Community, RTC and study partners will gather input on a wide range of potential HCT modes and travel corridors from county residents, elected officials, community groups, and other transportation agencies. These ideas are crucial for identifying the most promising travel corridors and types of transit to connect the community with efficient and reliable HCT services. The study’s outcomes will provide county decision-makers with the knowledge they will need to provide additional transportation options that connect county residents with where they need and want to go.  Read more...

Final Report

The Southwest Washington Regional Transportation Council (RTC) along with its partner agencies has completed a two-year effort to develop a High Capacity Transit (HCT) System Plan. The plan includes bus rapid transit (BRT) in the Highway 99, Fourth Plain, and Mill Plain corridors and significant bus improvements in the I-205 corridor. The plan will serve as a guide for C-TRAN and the communities in Clark County as they move forward with improvements in the planning of future HCT Corridors. The Clark County High Capacity Transit System Study Final Report and System Plan Map are now both available online for your review. You can download them in the Documents section of our Information page.

Study News

12/02/09 – Southwest Washington Regional Transportation Council (RTC) Board Meeting

RTC Board members were provided with copies of the Draft Final Report and Executive Summary. Staff reviewed the study recommendations, including system recommendations and policies. The RTC Board unanimously endorsed the Steering Committee’s study recommendations.

11/04/08 – Southwest Washington Regional Transportation Council (RTC) Board Meeting

Staff presented an overview the draft Clark County High Capacity Transit System Report, including draft System Plan policies and recommendations. Staff reviewed the high capacity transit recommendation in the Highway 99, Fourth Plain, I-205, and Mill Plain Corridors. Staff noted that designing a great HCT system is not enough. Successful implementation of the HCT Plan will depend on intergovernmental cooperation, transit-supportive land use, initial capital improvements, neighborhood and business support. The final draft report and recommendations will be brought back to the December RTC Board meeting for action.

10/30/08 – Twelfth Steering Committee Meeting

The HCT Steering Committee met on October 30th to review the proposed 2030 HCT System and make final recommendations. Staff provided an overview of the proposed 2030 HCT System. The committee discussed how the HCT system will interact with the bus system and in particular in downtown Vancouver. The Steering Committee recommended the proposed HCT System and either Fourth Plain or Highway 99 as the priority corridor.

10/20/08 – Fifteenth Task Force Meeting

The HCT Task Force met on October 20th to review study milestones, HCT System recommendations, and provide priority corridor guidance. Staff provided an overview of the study process, major milestones, and the recommended HCT system. Staff then compared how the proposed system met the adopted goals and objectives. This activity showed that the proposed system does a good job of meeting the goals and objectives. After some discussion, the Task Force recommended that the proposed HCT System be forward to the Steering Committee and then to the RTC Board. The Task Force recommended that either Highway 99 or Fourth Plain be selected as the priority corridor. Fourth Plain had slightly more support.

10/01/08 – Eleventh Steering Committee Meeting

The HCT Steering Committee met on October 1st to review findings from Scenario #6, begin discussion of HCT policies, and review the decision making process. The study team presented the findings of Scenario #6. The Steering Committee noted that although they had no concerns about Scenario #6, they would like to have a better comparison between the base Metropolitan Transportation Plan and Scenario #6. The Study team reviewed potential land use policies that will support future HCT corridors, and what actions would be needed from the various local agencies. Staff is proposing that the HCT System Plan would not select a priority corridor recommendation, rather that the priority corridor will be selected by C-TRAN as part of their Transit Development Plan and as the implementing agency.

9/15/08 – Fourteenth Task Force Meeting

The HCT System Study’s Task Force met on September 15th to review findings from Scenario #6 and begin discussion of HCT policies for the region. The committee was provided with an update of the summer web survey on mode and alignment. Survey respondents favored speed and connections to Portland, but were concerned about cost and fundability. The study team presented Scenario #6, which was developed based on previous feedback. Scenario #6 is similar to Scenario #5, except that it will replace BRT on I-205 with incremental bus improvements. Scenario #6 would continue to use BRT-Hybrid on Highway 99, Fourth Plain, and Mill Plain corridors. Incremental bus improvements in I-205 would include high level transit service with connections at major stops along I-205. Flyer stops, direct access ramps, and bus on shoulders will be used to facilitate service. The Study team review estimated ridership, capital cost, and operating cost for Scenario #6. The committee felt Scenario #6 balanced cost and ridership well. The study team ended the meeting with an introduction to how land use policy can facilitate high capacity transit.

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