Upcoming Events

Look here for upcoming study events, including opportunities to talk with the study team in person about your questions and comments.

July 2008

Thursday, July 10

Study Steering Committee Meeting
Scheduled for 4:00-7:00 pm at the Washington State Department of Transportation, 11018 NE 51st Circle, Vancouver.

Purpose Statement

The purpose statement was drafted by the study team and modified and approved by the study Steering Committee. The purpose statement is intended to focus the study and participants in a common goal. You can read more about the purpose statement here.

Goals / Objectives

The study goals and objectives were derived from concerns and issues generated by the Task Force and refined by the Steering Committee. The goals and objectives are intended to guide development and evaluation of potential high capacity transit modes and corridors for Clark County and, ultimately, selection of the modes and corridors that will, together, form a high capacity transit system plan that has the highest possible chance of success. You can view the goals and objectives here.

Narrowing Modes and Corridors

Nine modes and 15 corridors were evaluated as part of the initial screening process. Five modes and five corridors were modified and approved by the study Task Force, Steering Committee, Regional Transportation Advisory Committee, and the RTC Board of Directors. More information about the modes narrowing can be found here. Information about the corridors narrowing can be found here. A map of the narrowed modes and corridors is here.

Modes recommended for further analysis include:

• Bus rapid transit (BRT)
• BRT lite
• Commuter rail
• Light rail transit (LRT)
• Street car

Corridors recommended for further analysis include:

• I-5 South (Columbia River to 219th Street/SR 502)
• I-205 South (Columbia River to NE 134th Street)
• SR-500/Fourth Plain (from Downtown Vancouver to 137th on Fourth Plain and to Padden Parkway on SR-500)
• SR-14/Mill Plain (from Downtown Vancouver on Mill Plain to 192nd Street and on SR-14 to 164th Avenue)
• Chelatchie Prairie Railroad for preliminary evaluation and potential

Click the thumbnails at right to see full-size Narrowing of Modes and Corridors and/or HCT System Framework maps.

Corridor Analysis

The Corridor Analysis is helping to refine the corridor and alignments based on how well they meet a variety of criteria. Some of the factors considered include:

• Traffic - Would there be turn restrictions? Queuing impacts? Additional traffic? Impacts from shared traffic lanes?
• Land Use - Would there be development opportunities near stations? Appropriate growth and density? Pedestrian access to stations? Transit supportive development?
• Environment - Would there be wetlands, critical habitats, or streams that would complicate the development of HCT?
• Ridership and Mode Share - How would proximity to park and rides, station convenience, transfers, and travel times affect ridership?

• Costs - What capital and operating expenditures would be necessary?

Modes and Corridors Recommendation

Based on the results of the corridor analysis, the Task Force and Steering Committee have made recommendations for a number of possible High Capacity Transit System scenarios that use different modes and alignments to optimize High Capacity Transit in the county. The study team is currently in the process of evaluating the performance of each scenario. The Task Force system strategy map can be viewed here.