Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 1, 1999

Open House will present preferred option for I-5 HOV lanes:
December 8, 1999

Vancouver, Washington -- The Southwest Washington Regional Transportation Council (RTC) is hosting its last open house to present information on the preferred High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane option in the I-5 Corridor. The open house is scheduled for:

Wednesday, December 8, 1999, 5-8 p.m.
Vancouver Housing Authority
Community Meeting Room
2500 Main Street
Vancouver, Washington

HOV lanes, also called diamond lanes or carpool lanes, can be used by buses, motorcycles, and carpools with at least two people. A project team has been exploring the technical feasibility of numerous options and has focused on a preferred option for developing a conceptual design and cost estimates. The HOV option consists of the following:

• Two general-purpose travel lanes plus an HOV lane from 134th to Main Street.
• Added capacity for HOV (or three general purpose lanes) from Main Street to Interstate Bridge.
• No HOV across the Bridge.
• Added capacity for HOV from Marine Drive to Lombard Street through the use of a movable barrier.
• All the options described above also retain the current northbound HOV lane from Going Street to Marine Drive in Portland, which would continue to operate in the PM peak period. Further analysis will look at whether to also implement a northbound HOV lane north of the Interstate Bridge up to 134th Street in the PM peak period.

The open house will have information about options that were evaluated and the preferred option that is being proposed. The results of a public opinion survey of Clark County residents regarding HOV in the I-5 corridor will also be available. A preferred HOV option will be finalized by the end of this year and will conclude with a final report and a design for the HOV alternative in the spring of 2000.

This project is a collaborative effort of RTC, the Washington State Department of Transportation, C-TRAN, the City of Vancouver, Clark County, and the Oregon Department of Transportation. More information is available at http://www.rtc.wa.gov/studies/i5hov.

Contact:

Bob Hart Regional Transportation Council 360-397-6067