The Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) for Klickitat County is the region’s principal transportation planning document. The magnitude of transportation issues facing the Klickitat County region and the need for cooperation between jurisdictions in order to develop regional solutions requires the Regional Transportation Plan to be developed. The RTP is intended to be a plan to meet transportation needs over the next 20 years and a plan to direct the regional transportation planning process.
The RTP is a collective effort addressing the development of a regional transportation system which will facilitate planned economic growth and maintain the region’s rural quality of life.
The RTP identifies future regional transportation system needs and outlines transportation plans and improvements necessary to maintain adequate mobility within and through the Klickitat County region. The region must plan for a future regional transportation system which adequately services the population, employment, and visitor growth projected for Klickitat County. The RTP’s goals, objectives, and policies will guide the various jurisdictions and agencies involved in planning and programming of transportation projects throughout Klickitat County.
The primary goal of the RTP is to outline a long range plan which will provide for the highest level of transportation services and mobility for Klickitat County at the most cost-effective price and with the least environmental impact.
- Define acceptable level of mobility for personal travel and goods movement throughout the regional transportation network by ensuring adequate access to locations throughout the region.
- Identify cost-effective recommendations; those solutions that provide adequate mobility to users while minimizing total system costs.
- Recommends transportation improvements which will minimize impact to the environment. Transportation improvements must be consistent with community environmental values.
The RTP for Klickitat County takes the year 2020 as its horizon year. Travel demand for the region is forecast for this future year and improvements to the transportation system are recommended based on the projected demand.
- Preservation of existing regional transportation facilities where practical.
- Development of corridors to improve economic development potential.
- Accessibility across the Columbia River in terms of capacity, economic development, corridor location, and connecting roadways.
- Federal, state, local, and private sources of revenue for transportation projects.
- Access to ports, airports, intermodal transportation facilities, major freight distribution routes, and recreation areas.
- The need to relieve congestion and prevent congestion from occurring where it does not yet occur.
- The need to improve safety in corridors with safety problems.
The Klickitat County population center are located in and near Goldendale in the central part of the county and Bingen/White Salmon at the southwest corner of the county. The county is 84 miles long and varies between 13 and 29 miles wide. The total area of the county is 1,908 square miles. The provision of public facilities and services, including transportation, is a principal determinant of land use patterns.
Klickitat County Growth
Year Population Housing Units Persons Per Housing Unit Passenger Cars Cars Per Housing Unit Registered Vehicles Vehicles Per Housing Unit 1970 12,138 4,668 2.60 5,485 1.18 10,578 2.27 1980 15,822 6,498 2.43 7,986 1.23 16,188 2.49 1990 16,616 7,213 2.30 8,597 1.19 18,727 2.60 1996 18,700 8,187 2.28 9,808 1.20 20,669 2.52 Klickitat County Forecast
1996 RTP Forecast 2020 Percent Change Population 18,700 25,074 34% Housing 8,187 11,397 39% Employment 5,350 6,790 27%
The focus of the RTP is on the designated regional Transportation System. The regional transportation system includes all roads classified major collector or above, port facilities, airport facilities, rail facilities, bridges, public transportation, and the Columbia River. Needs were analyzed base on existing deficiencies.
Capacity Needs
Road Mile Post Deficient Capacity Segment SR-14 63.52-68.00 SR-141 Spur to Bingen ECL SR-14 100.2-101.44 SR-14 Maryhill Spur to SR-97 Hood River Br. Columbia River Hood River Bridge: between SR-14 and SR-97 0.00-12.67 Biggs Rapid Bridge to End Climbing Lane SR-97 20.29-27.16 Allen Creek Road to Ski Lodge Road SR-97 30.80-31.44 Satus Creek Bridge Vicinity Safety Needs
Road Mile Post Deficient Safety Segments Accident Rate SR-14 64.89-66.14 Dock Grade Road to Willow Street 3.48 SR-14 75.87-76.80 Lyle to Lyle Tunnel 3.01 SR-97 0.25-2.41 Columbia River to SR-97 Bend 2.36 SR-97 2.65-6.84 SR-97 Bend to Maryhill Loops Rd. 2.30 SR-97 17.33-21.30 Horse Ranch Road to Allen Creek Road 2.71 SR-97 24.56-27.85 Timmer Lane to Yakima Indian Reservation 3.38 SR-97 28.35-33.42 Yakima Indian Reservation to County Line 3.00 SR-141 0.03-1.55 SR-14 to White Salmon West City Limits 4.01 SR-141 1.89-4.69 Wabast Street to SR-141 Spur 2.91 SR-141 4.78-8.61 SR-141 Spur to Husum Road 3.03 SR-141 12.57-20.77 Gilmer Creek Road to Warner Road 2.66 Rock Fall Hazard
Road Mile Post Rating Rockfall Hazard Locations SR-14 63.55-63.60 406 East of SR-141 Spur SR-14 69.00-69.10 266 2 miles east of Bingen SR-14 73.20-73.35 183 West of Rest Area SR-14 73.70-73.80 126 West of Rest Area SR-14 74.60-74.65 180 West of Canyon Road SR-14 77.40-77.80 367 Lyle – East of Tunnels SR-14 77.95-78.05 262 Lyle – East of Tunnels SR-14 85.90-86.10 206 Horsethief Lake State Park Vic. SR-14 94.00-94.15 268 Wishram Vicinity SR-14 122.9-123.3 192 East of Rock Creek Bridge SR-141 Spur 0.3-0.7 375 North of SR-14
Potential transportation improvement projects proposed in this Plan are intended to meet the RTP policy objective of making the most efficient use of, and enhancing, the existing transportation system. Federal, state, and local revenue sources for transportation improvements are identified and described. The RTP is "fiscally constrained"; there is a match between forecasted revenues and cost of identified transportation system improvements.
Solutions and strategies needed to provide an adequate level of regional mobility over the next 20 years are recommended. A wide rage of solutions and strategies are needed to meet the regional travel demand. The solutions and strategies for the Klickitat County regional transportation system have been divided into the subheadings. Maintenance is the daily operations that keep the transportation system safe, clean, and efficient. Preservation is an investment that prolongs the life of the transportation system. Improvements are modifications that increase safety, mobility, and effectiveness of the transportation system. Miscellaneous includes specific improvements, thus no cost estimate is provided for these strategies.
Transportation Improvements
Klickitat County Transportation Improvements Rank Facility Location Mile Post Description Cost
(Millions)1 SR-14 Hood Rv. Br. to Willow St. 65.1-66.1 Widen to 3 lanes $3.18 2 SR-35 White Salmon/Bingen Area N/A Feasibility Study: New bridge $1.20 3 SR-97 Brooks Park to Ski Lodge Rd. 25.4-27.2 Add Climbing Lane $3.00 4 SR-14 SR-141 Alt. to Dock Grade 63.6-64.8 Intersection improvements, widen shoulders, rockfall protection $1.00 5 SR-14 Maryhill Spur to SR-97 100.6-101.3 Add WB truck climbing lane $0.98 6 SR-14 Willow St. to Vine St. 66.1-66.8 Reconfigure for left turn lane $1.67 7 SR-14 New Port of Klickitat Access 66.7 Feasibility for New Port Entrance $0.05 8 SR-97 At SR-14 2.3-2.8 New interchange $14.89 9 SR-141 SR-14 to Garfield Ave. Intersection improvements, widen $4.00 10 SR-97 Biggs Bridge 0.0-0.7 Design: New 4 lane bridge $0.80 11 SR-97 Klickitat Cr. to Allen Cr. 14.5-21.3 Widen to 4 lanes or passing lanes $12.38 Total: $43.15 Revenue Shortfall
Monitoring of the regional transportation system’s performance is an ongoing activity, which at a minimum will occur as part of the review of the RTP. Monitoring of accident rates, rock fall, traffic volumes, preservation and maintenance needs are used as a tool for identifying and evaluating system improvements for the RTP.
RTC has an adopted public involvement program, outlining the public involvement efforts in the development of the RTP. All RTC Board meetings and the Klickitat County Transportation Policy Committee meetings are open to the public. A public meeting will be held before the adoption of the RTP and a public meeting will be held at least every two years to allow the public review of the RTP
Provisions for implementation of regional transportation goals, policies and actions established by the Klickitat County RTP are carried forward through local and regional decision-making process, which takes place through the development of a Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). It is in the TIP that transportation needs identified in the RTP are programmed for receipt of funds.
       
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