The Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) for Skamania County is the region’s principal transportation planning document. The Regional Transportation Plan is developed to meet the magnitude of transportation issues facing the Skamania County region and the need for cooperation between jurisdictions in order to develop regional solutions. The RTP is a plan which will meet the transportation needs over the next 20 years by implementing a 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 throughout the Skamania County region. The region must plan for a future regional transportation system which adequately serves the population, employment, and visitor growth projected for Skamania County. The RTP’s goals, objectives, and policies will guide the various jurisdictions and agencies involved in planning and programming of transportation projects throughout Skamania County.
The primary goal of the RTP is to develop a long-range plan which will provide for the highest level of transportation services and mobility for Skamania County at the most cost-effective price and with the least environmental impact. Additional goals include:
- Define acceptable levels 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 as those solutions that provide adequate mobility to users while minimizing total system costs.
- Recommends transportation improvements which minimize impacts to the environment. Transportation improvements must be consistent with community environmental values.
The RTP for Skamania County takes the year 2020 as its horizon year. Travel demand for the region is forecasted to 2020 and improvements to the transportation system are recommended based on the projected demand.
- Preservation of existing regional transportation facilities.
- 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.
- The role of the private sector in transportation system development.
- 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 population of Skamania County is concentrated in the southern quarter of the county near the Columbia River and in the Wind River Valley. Most of the County is heavily forested, with over 98 percent in public and private forest land. Of the total County acreage, 92 percent is in public ownership, while only 8 percent is in private ownership.
Skamania County Growth
Year Population Housing Units Persons Per Housing Unit Passenger Cars Cars Per Housing Unit Registered Vehicles Vehicles Per Housing Unit 1970 5,845 2,174 2.69 2,098 0.97 4,019 1.85 1980 7,919 3,435 2.31 2,973 0.86 5,921 1.72 1990 8,299 3,922 2.11 3,262 0.83 6,644 1.69 1996 9,800 4,676 2.10 4,011 0.86 8,041 1.72 Skamania County Forecast
1996 RTP Forecast 2020 Percent Change Population 9,800 12,809 31% Housing 4,676 6,279 34% Employment 1,920 2,280 19%
The focus of the RTP is on the designated regional Transportation System. The regional transportation system includes all roads classified major collector or above, principle forest road system, port facilities, rail facilities, bridges, and the Columbia River. Needs were analyzed base on existing deficiencies.
Capacity Needs
Road Mile Post Deficient Capacity Segment LOS SR-14 21.77 - 24.92 Clark Co. line to Half Bridge D SR-14 24.92 - 27.87 Half Bridge to Prindle Rd. Vic. D SR-14 27.87 - 37.04 Prindle Rd to North Bonneville C SR-14
43.90 - 47.44 Rock Creek Bridge to Wind River Rd. D Safety Needs
Road Mile Post Deficient Safety Segments Accident Rate SR-14 21.79 - 23.36 Clark Co. Line to Bell Center Rd. 4.47 SR-14 23.42 - 26.38 Bell Center Rd. to Salmon Falls Rd. 3.60 SR-14 29.65 - 32.56 Smith Cripe Rd. to Skamania Community 2.20 SR-14 32.83 - 35.99 Skamania Community to North Bonneville 2.57 SR-14 44.20 - 44.53 Stevenson 7.01 SR-14 46.62 - 47.50 Sweeney Rd. to Sprague Landing Rd. 2.25 SR-14 58.08 – 60.40 Tunnels 1 through 5 3.31 SR-14 61.17 - 63.20 Tunnels to Cook Underwood Rd. 2.39 Rock Fall Hazard
Road Mile Post Rockfall Hazard Locations Rating SR-14 24.95 - 25.00 Half Bridge Vicinity 245 SR-14 25.14 - 25.19 Half Bridge Vicinity 253 SR-14 25.84 - 25.91 Half Bridge Vicinity 351 SR-14 46.70 - 46.75 Sweeney Curves Vicinity 303 SR-14 53.80 - 53.90 East of Bergen Road 346 SR-14 54.00 - 54.10 East of Bergen Road 242 SR-14 55.20 - 55.40 West of Cook-Underwood Road 291 SR-14 55.95 - 56.05 West of Cook-Underwood Road 350 SR-14 58.85 - 58.95 Tunnel No. 3 Vicinity 207 SR-14 60.30 - 60.35 Tunnel No. 5 Vicinity 244 SR-14 62.75 - 62.85 West of Cook-Underwood Road 229 SR-14 63.05 - 63.20 West of Cook-Underwood Road 285
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 Skamania 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.
Revenue Shortfall
Transportation Improvements
Skamania County Transportation Improvements Rank Facility Location Mile Post Description Cost
(Millions)1 SR-14 Marble Rd. to Half Bridge 22.7 - 24.9 Eastbound Climbing lanes $4.7 2 SR-14 West of Salmon Falls Road 24.9 - 26.1 Minor realignment $4.5 3 SR-14 Stevenson to Carson Depot Rd. 44.6 - 47.8 Realignment, widen shoulders, rockfall $1.0 4 SR-14 Skamania Landing Rd. to Beacon Rock State Park 33.2 - 34.8 Realignment, widen shoulders, rockfall $4.7 5 SR-14 Tunnels 1-5 58.0 - 60.2 Evaluation of alternatives $0.3 6 SR-14 Half Bridge to Prindle Rd. 24.9 - 27.9 Extend westbound climbing lane $4.3 7 SR-14 Duncan Creek Bridge 32.6 Replace Duncan Creek Bridge $1.4 8 SR-14 Tunnels 1-5 58.0 - 60.2 Widen shoulders $0.3 9 SR-14 Marble Rd. to Prindle Rd. 22.7 - 27.9 Feasibility Cape Horn By-pass $1.5 10 SR-14 Identified in Rockfall Varies Rockfall protection n/a 11 SR-14 Cape Horn Vicinity 24.5 Cape Horn Vista $1.1 12 SR-14 Wind River Vicinity 49.3 Recreational Parking $0.1 13 SR-14 Drano Lake Vicinity 57.2 Recreational Parking $0.1 Total: $24.0
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 Skamania 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 Skamania 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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