Transportation for Klickitat County, Washington · 2018. 11. 7. · Klickitat County area developed...

Regional Transportation Plan for

Klickitat County, Washington

November 2018

Southwest Washington Regional Transportation Council Southwest Washington Regional Transportation Council

Regional Transportation Plan for Klickitat County, Washington

Klickitat County, Washington

Published: November 2018

Southwest Washington Regional Transportation Council

Street Address Mailing Address1300 Franklin Street

Vancouver, WA 98660 P.O. Box 1366

Vancouver, WA 98666‐1366

Phone: 564‐397‐6067

https://www.rtc.wa.gov

Clark County

Skamania County

Klickitat County

City of Vancouver

City of Camas

City of Washougal

City of Battle Ground

City of Ridgefield

City of La Center

Town of Yacolt

City of Stevenson

City of North Bonneville

City of White Salmon

City of Bingen

City of Goldendale

C‐TRAN

Washington DOT

Port of Vancouver

Port of Camas‐Washougal

Port of Ridgefield

Port of Skamania County

Port of Klickitat

Metro

Oregon DOT

14th Legislative District





Introduction ii

Regional Transportation Plan for Klickitat County

Preparation of this Report was funded by grants from the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and local funds from RTC member jurisdictions.

RTC Respects Civil Rights RTC operates its programs without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, age or disability in accordance with applicable laws, including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and RCW 49.60. To request additional information on RTC’s Title VI nondiscrimination requirements, or if any person believes they have been aggrieved by an unlawful discriminatory practice under Title VI or other applicable law and would like to file a complaint, contact us at 564.397.6067 TTY 711 or email [email protected].

Persons who do not speak or read English well may request language assistance, oral interpretation and/or written translation, at no cost. Contact RTC at 564.397.6067 TTY 711 or email [email protected].

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Information: Individuals requiring reasonable accommodations may request written materials in alternate formats, sign language interpreters, physical accessibility accommodations, or other reasonable accommodations by contacting the ADA Coordinator, Mark Harrington at 546‐397‐5207 TTY 711, with two weeks advance notice.

Introduction iii


Table of Contents Chapter 1: Introduction: RTP Vision, Purpose and Goals .......................................................... 1

Vision ...................................................................................................................................................................... 1Purpose ................................................................................................................................................................... 1Goals ....................................................................................................................................................................... 1

Management Plan for the Columbia River National Scenic Area ..................................................................... 3SR‐14 Corridor Management Plan ................................................................................................................... 3

Transportation Strategy .......................................................................................................................................... 3Guidelines and Principles ........................................................................................................................................ 3Scope ...................................................................................................................................................................... 4Transportation Issues Addressed in RTP ................................................................................................................. 5Statutory Requirements ......................................................................................................................................... 6

State ................................................................................................................................................................. 6Intergovernmental Coordination ............................................................................................................................ 9

Klickitat County Transportation Policy Committee ........................................................................................ 10Bi‐State Coordination ..................................................................................................................................... 11

Klickitat County Regional Transportation Plan: Work Plan ................................................................................... 11Outline of RTP Chapters ........................................................................................................................................ 11

Chapter 2: Land Use, Growth and Transportation .................................................................. 13Land Use and Transportation ............................................................................................................................... 13Growth and Development .................................................................................................................................... 14

Growth in Klickitat County ............................................................................................................................. 15General Land Uses in Klickitat County .................................................................................................................. 16Planned Land Use ................................................................................................................................................. 16Population and Employment Forecast.................................................................................................................. 17Demographic and Travel Trends ........................................................................................................................... 18

Chapter 3: Identification of Regional Transportation Needs .................................................. 21Current Functional Classification of the Regional Roadway System .................................................................... 21

Rural Principal Arterials .................................................................................................................................. 22Rural Minor Arterials ...................................................................................................................................... 22Rural Major Collector Roads .......................................................................................................................... 22Rural Minor Collector Roads .......................................................................................................................... 22Rural Local Roads ........................................................................................................................................... 23

Designation of the RTP Regional Transportation System ..................................................................................... 23All State Transportation Facilities and Services ............................................................................................. 23All Local Principal Arterials ............................................................................................................................. 24All Other Transportation Facilities and Services Considered Necessary to Complete the Regional Transportation Plan ....................................................................................................................................... 24Enhancements ............................................................................................................................................... 28

Introduction iv


Growth in Traffic Volumes .................................................................................................................................... 28Future Travel Demand .......................................................................................................................................... 28Levels of Service .................................................................................................................................................... 29Level of Service Standards .................................................................................................................................... 30Capacity Analysis .................................................................................................................................................. 30Safety Analysis ...................................................................................................................................................... 31

Washington State Department Unstable Slopes ........................................................................................... 32Tunnels ........................................................................................................................................................... 33Trucks ............................................................................................................................................................. 33Recreational Parking ...................................................................................................................................... 33

Preservation and Maintenance Need ................................................................................................................... 34Hood River Bridge Replacement ........................................................................................................................... 34SR‐14 Bingen/White Salmon Circulation Study .................................................................................................... 35Enhancement Need .............................................................................................................................................. 35Economic Development Need .............................................................................................................................. 35Emerging Technology ........................................................................................................................................... 36

Chapter 4: Financial Plan ....................................................................................................... 37Overview ............................................................................................................................................................... 37Challenges and Accomplishments ........................................................................................................................ 37Revenue Sources ................................................................................................................................................... 38

Federal Funding ............................................................................................................................................. 38State Funding ................................................................................................................................................. 39Local Funding ................................................................................................................................................. 41Transit Revenues ............................................................................................................................................ 42

Revenue Assumptions .......................................................................................................................................... 42Cost Assumptions ................................................................................................................................................. 43Balancing Revenue and Cost ................................................................................................................................. 44

Chapter 5: System Improvement and Strategy Plan ............................................................... 47Overview ............................................................................................................................................................... 47Maintenance and Preservation ............................................................................................................................ 47Improvements ...................................................................................................................................................... 48Illustrative ............................................................................................................................................................. 48Miscellaneous Strategies and Solutions ............................................................................................................... 49

Bridge Deficiencies ......................................................................................................................................... 49Safety Deficiencies ......................................................................................................................................... 49Economic Development and Freight Transportation Deficiencies ................................................................. 49Non‐Motorized Transportation Deficiencies ................................................................................................. 50Transit Deficiencies ........................................................................................................................................ 50

Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................................ 50

Chapter 6: Performance Monitoring ...................................................................................... 53

Introduction v


Overview ............................................................................................................................................................... 53Safety .................................................................................................................................................................... 53Capacity Analysis .................................................................................................................................................. 53Preservation and Maintenance ............................................................................................................................ 53Special Studies ...................................................................................................................................................... 54

Chapter 7: Plan Development and Implementation ............................................................... 55Public Involvement in Regional Transportation Planning Process ........................................................................ 55RTP Implementation ............................................................................................................................................. 55RTP Update Process .............................................................................................................................................. 55

Glossary ................................................................................................................................ 57

List of Figures Figure 1‐1: Map of Klickitat County Location .......................................................................................................... 5Figure 1‐2: Agency Structure ................................................................................................................................ 10Figure 1‐3: RTP Process ......................................................................................................................................... 12Figure 2‐1: Land Use/Transportation Cycle .......................................................................................................... 13Figure 2‐2: Population Housing and Employment Growth ................................................................................... 15Figure 2‐3: Population, Housing, and Employment Forecast ............................................................................... 17Figure 4‐1: Transportation Revenue and Cost ...................................................................................................... 45

List of Tables Table 2‐1: Klickitat Work Flow by County ............................................................................................................. 19Table 2‐2: Work Travel Mode ............................................................................................................................... 20Table 3‐1: Klickitat County Public Railroad Crossings ........................................................................................... 28Table 3‐2: Traffic Volumes 2004 to 2017 .............................................................................................................. 28Table 3‐3: Deficient Capacity Segment ................................................................................................................. 31Table 3‐4: Klickitat County Fatality and Serious Injury Factors, 2014‐2016 ......................................................... 32Table 3‐5: Priority Unstable Slope Project along SR 14 ........................................................................................ 33Table 4‐1: Projected Revenue ............................................................................................................................... 43Table 4‐2: Projected Cost ...................................................................................................................................... 44Table 5‐1: Klickitat County Transportation Improvement Projects ...................................................................... 51Table 5‐2: Illustrative Needs ................................................................................................................................. 51

Introduction vi


Klickitat County Transportation Policy Committee

Policy/Mission Statement TheCommitteesupportstheimprovementofsafetyandefficiencyoftheregionaltransportationsysteminKlickitatCounty.

TheCommitteesupportstransportationplanningandprojectdevelopmentthataddressestheimprovementofpublicsafetyalongtheregionaltransportationsystem.

TheCommitteesupportstheidentificationof“corridorsegments”throughouttheKlickitatCountyregion,whichshouldbethefocusoftransportationimprovement,enhancement,multimodal,andmobilityfunding.

TheCommitteesupportsthecoordinationbetweenagenciesinidentifyingandaddressing,whenpractical,theneedsofamultimodaltransportationsystem.

Klickitat County Member Jurisdictions KlickitatCountyCityofBingenCityofGoldendaleCityofWhiteSalmonPortofKlickitatWashingtonStateDepartmentofTransportation

Klickitat County Transportation Policy Committee Members JimSizemore Commissioner,KlickitatCountyBettyBarnes Mayor,CityofBingenLarryBellamy Administrator,CityofGoldendaleDavidPoucher Mayor,CityofWhiteSalmonMarcThornsbury Director,PortofKlickitatBartGernhart ActingSWRegionAdministrator,WSDOT

Staff (Member Agency and Coordinating Agencies) MichaelWilliams WSDOT,SWRegionDevinReck WSDOT,SWRegionGordonKelsey KlickitatCounty,PublicWorksSharonCarter KlickitatCounty,SeniorServicesDavidSpratt CityofBingenKevinEnglish CityofWhiteSalmonKarlEnyeart CityofGoldendaleKathyFitzpatrick Mid‐ColumbiaEconomicDevelopmentDistrictMichaelMcElwee PortofHoodRiverMattRansom RegionalTransportationCouncilDaleRobins RegionalTransportationCouncil

Chapter 1: Introduction: RTP Vision, Purpose and Goals 1


Chapter 1: Introduction: RTP Vision, Purpose and Goals

TheRegionalTransportationPlan(RTP)forKlickitatCountyistheregion’sprincipaltransportationplanningdocument.ItrepresentsaregionaltransportationplanforKlickitatCountyareadevelopedthroughacoordinatedprocessbetweenlocaljurisdictionsinordertodevelopregionalsolutionstotransportationneeds.ThefirstRTPforKlickitatCountywasadoptedinApril1995.ThisupdatetotheKlickitatCountyRTPwilluse2040asthehorizonyearandincorporatethelatestavailabledata.TheRTPisintendedtobeaplantomeetthetransportationneedsoverthenext20yearsbyimplementingaregionaltransportationplanningprocess.Thisintroductorychapterpresentsthevision,purpose,goals,scope,statutoryrequirements,anddecision‐makingprocessinvolvedindevelopmentoftheRTPforKlickitatCounty.

Vision TheRTPisacollectiveefforttoaddressthedevelopmentofasaferegionaltransportationsystemthatwillsupportplannedeconomicgrowthandmaintaintheregion’sruralqualityoflife.

Purpose TheRTPidentifiesfutureregionaltransportationsystemneedsandoutlinestransportationplansandimprovementsnecessarytomaintainadequatemobilityandsafetywithinandthroughouttheKlickitatCountyregion.Theregionmustplanforafutureregionaltransportationsystemthatadequatelyservesthepopulation,employment,andvisitorgrowthprojectedforKlickitatCounty.TheRTP’sgoals,objectives,andpolicieswillguidethevariousjurisdictionsandagenciesinvolvedinplanningandprogrammingoftransportationprojectsthroughoutKlickitatCounty.

Goals ThefollowinggoalswereusedtoguidethedevelopmentoftheKlickitatCountyRegionalTransportationPlan:



Preservation:Maintainandpreservetheexistingregionaltransportationsystem.

SafetyandSecurity:Provideasafeandsecuretransportationsystem.

Economy:Provideatransportationsystemthatfosterseconomicdevelopment.

Finance:Provideforthedevelopmentofatransportationsystemthatefficientlyusesfinancialresources.

AccessibilityandMobility:Provideanintegratedandcoordinatedtransportationsystemthatincludesavarietyofmobilityoptions.

Environment:Provideatransportationsystemthatissensitivetothequalityoftheenvironmentandnaturalresources.

VisionandValues:Provideforviableandlivablelocalcommunities.

ManagementandOperations:Maximizeefficientmanagementandoperationofthetransportationsystem.

ThereisconsistencybetweenthegeneralRTPgoalsandthepoliciesestablishedbylocaljurisdictionsandagenciesaspartoftheirlocalcomprehensiveplanningprocess.TheRegionalTransportationPlan(RTP)forKlickitatCounty,whereapplicable,willalsoconsiderthegoalsestablishedintheManagementPlanfortheColumbiaRiverGorgeNationalScenicAreaandotherlong‐rangeplans.



Management Plan for the Columbia River National Scenic Area

Providetransportationfacilitiesthatmeettheneedsofthetravelingpublicandimplementthisplan’srecreationgoalsandobjectiveswhileprotectingscenic,natural,cultural,andrecreationresources.

Promotealternativemodesoftransportationtoimprovesafetyandenjoymentofthetravelingpublicandtohelpalleviatefuturetrafficdemand.

EnsurethatareplacementColumbiaRiverBridgebetweentheHoodRiverandBingen/WhiteSalmonUrbanAreasprovidesforregionaltransportationandpublicsafetyneedswhilebeingconsistentwithbothpurposesoftheScenicAreaAct.

SR‐14 Corridor Management Plan

ImprovesafetyalongSR‐14withrespectfortheprotectionandenhancementofresources.

Enhancetheeconomyofcommunitiesalongthehighway.

DesignHighway14asanationalattractionbyprotectingandenhancingscenic,natural,cultural,andrecreationresourceswithinthehighwaycorridor,withrespecttolocalresidences,andbusiness.

ManagetheSR‐14Corridorinthemostefficientandeffectivemannerpossible.

Transportation Strategy TheRegionalTransportationPlanforKlickitatCountyistheregion’stransportationstrategy.

Guidelines and Principles In1994,theStateLegislaturepassedSubstituteHouseBill1928.ThislegislationrequiresRTPO’stoestablishGuidelinesandPrinciplesthatprovidedirectionforthedevelopmentofthetransportationelementsofcomprehensiveplans.Thefollowingrepresenttheseguidelinesandprinciples:

Identifyadequateareasforfuturecommercial,retail,andindustrialeconomicgrowth.Coordinateidentifiedeconomicgrowthareaswithanefficienttransportationsystem.



Identifyadequatelandforresidentialdevelopmentanddensitywithinurbanareasthatiscoordinatedwiththetransportationsystem.

Provideatransportationsystemthatsupportstheeconomicvitalityoftheregion,andprovidesforlong‐termfreightmobilityneedsandportaccess.

Providearangeofnon‐motorizedopportunitieswithintheregionaltransportationsystem.

Worktowardthedevelopmentofacoresystemofall‐weatherroadsforfreighttravel.

Encouragereducingtherelianceonthesingleoccupantvehiclebyprovidingothermodesoftransportation.

Encouragepresentandfuturerailroadrightofwaytobeutilizedfortransportationpurposes.

Enhanceintermodalfreightconnections.

Scope TheRTPforKlickitatCountytakestheyear2040asitshorizonyear.Traveldemandfortheregionisforecastforthisfutureyearandimprovementstothetransportationsystemarerecommendedbasedontheprojecteddemand.

TheareacoveredbytheRTPisthewholeofKlickitatCounty.KlickitatCountyissituatedalongthenorthernbankoftheColumbiaRiverinsouth‐centralWashington.TheCountyliesonthesoutheastflankofMountAdams.Onthenorth,thecountyborderstheSimcoeHillsandcontainspartoftheYakamaIndianReservation.(SeeFigure1‐1).



Figure 1‐1: Map of Klickitat County Location

People and freight move throughout the regional transportation system withoutconsiderationforcity,county,andstateboundaries.Sincetransportationproblemsextend beyond jurisdictional boundaries, the RTP must analyze the futuretransportationneedsfortheentireregionwhilecreatingacooperativeframeworkforcoordinatingtheindividualactionsofvariousjurisdictions.

Transportation Issues Addressed in RTP

Transportationsystemmaintenance,preservation,andsafety.

Developmentofcorridorstoimproveeconomicdevelopmentpotential.

AccessibilityacrosstheColumbiaRiverintermsofcapacity,economicdevelopment,corridorlocation,andconnectingroadways.

Federal,state,local,andprivatesourcesofrevenuefortransportationprojects.



Accesstoports,airports,intermodaltransportationfacilities,majorfreightdistributionroutes,andrecreationareas.

Theneedtorelieveandpreventcongestionfromoccurringwhereitdoesnotyetoccur.

Theneedtoimprovecorridorswithsafetyproblems,includingfreightcorridors.

Theneedtoprovideamultimodaltransportationsystem;includingpedestrian,bicycle,bus,truck,rail,marine,andauto.

Theneedtoprovideenhancements(signs,viewpoints,kiosk,etc.),toassistvisitors.

Statutory Requirements

State

WithinWashingtonState,RegionalTransportationPlansareexpectedtobeconsistentwiththepolicyframeworkandobjectivesdescribedinthetransportationplanforWashingtonState.ThemostrecentWashingtonTransportationPlan,2035,wasdevelopedbytheWashingtonTransportationCommissionandadoptedinJanuary2015.WashingtonTransportationPlanPhase2–Implementation2017‐2040wasapprovedinApril2018.

TheWashingtonTransportationPlan2035isbasedonthefollowingtransportationpolicygoalsestablishedbytheLegislature:

EconomicVitality:Topromoteanddeveloptransportationsystemsthatstimulate,support,andenhancethemovementofpeopleandgoodstoensureaprosperouseconomy;



Preservation:Tomaintain,preserve,andextendthelifeandutilityofpriorinvestmentsintransportationsystemsandservices;

Safety:Toprovideforandimprovethesafetyandsecurityoftransportationcustomersandthetransportationsystem;

Mobility:ToimprovethepredictablemovementofgoodsandpeoplethroughoutWashingtonState;

Environment:ToenhanceWashington’squalityoflifethroughtransportationinvestmentsthatpromoteenergyconservation,enhancehealthycommunities,andprotecttheenvironment;and

Stewardship:Tocontinuouslyimprovethequality,effectiveness,andefficiencyofthetransportationsystem.

TheWashingtonStateHighwaySystemPlan(HSP)istheelementofWashington’sTransportationPlan(WTP)thataddressescurrentandforecaststatehighwayneeds.TheHSPincludesacomprehensiveassessmentofexistingandprojected20‐yeardeficienciesonthestate’shighwaysystem.Italsolistspotentialsolutionsthataddressthesedeficiencies.TheHSPisupdatedperiodicallywitheachversionbuildingonthelast.Thedocumentcoversallissuesrelatedtothestate’shighwaysystem.The2007‐2026versionoftheHSPtakestheWTP’sinvestmentguidelines,andidentifiesthehighwaysystemneeds,strategiesandperformancemeasurementsassociatedwiththeguidelines.

WSDOT'sCorridorSketchInitiativeisasetofplanningactivitiesthatengagestheagency'spartnerstodeterminethecontextandperformanceofstatehighwaycorridorsandidentifieshigh‐levelstrategiesforaddressingperformancegaps.Theinitiativecomplementsandsupportsregionalplanningprocessesaroundthestate.

Inaddition,WSDOThascompletedanumberofModelPlansincludingplansforAviation,Bicycle&Pedestrians,Ferry,Freight,Rail,PublicTransportation,andUltra‐HighSpeedGroundTransportation.

RecentWSDOTplansaredocumentedonWSDOT’sPlanningsectionwebsite.

Washington State’s Regional Transportation Planning Program

WashingtonState'sGrowthManagementAct,enactedin1990,approvedtheRegionalTransportationPlanningProgramwhichcreatedaformalmechanismforlocalgovernmentsandthestatetocoordinatetransportationplanningforregionaltransportationfacilities.TheGrowthManagementAct(GMA)authorizedthecreationofRegionalTransportationPlanningOrganizations(RTPOs)byunitsoflocalgovernment.SouthwestWashingtonRegionalTransportationCouncil(RTC)is



thedesignatedRTPOforthethree‐countyareaofClark,Skamania,andKlickitat.In1994,furtherstatelegislationclarifiedthedutiesoftheRTPOoutlinedintheGMAandfurtherdefinedRTPOplanningstandards.

ThedutiesoftheRTPO,asoutlinedintheGMAandSHB1928,include:

Designationoftheregionaltransportationsystem.

DevelopmentofasixyearregionalTransportationImprovementProgram(TIP),includingregionallysignificantprojects.TheTIPmustincludeafinancialplan.

DevelopmentofaRegionalTransportationPlan(RTP),toincludearegionaltransportationstrategy,identificationofexistingandplannedfacilitiesandprograms,LevelofServicestandards,afinancialplan,assessmentofregionaldevelopmentpatternsandcapitalinvestmentusingaregionaltransportationapproach.TheconceptofleastcostplanningistobeusedindevelopmentoftheRTP.TheRTPmustbereviewedatleasteverytwoyearstoensurethatitiscurrent.

EstablishguidelinesandprinciplesfordevelopmentandevaluationofthetransportationelementsofGMAlocalcomprehensiveplans.

DeveloparegionalLevelofService(LOS)standardfortheregionalsystemasrequiredbytheLOSBill.

TheRegionalTransportationPlanningProgramisdesignedtobeintegratedwith,andaugment,thefederallyrequiredMetropolitanPlanningOrganization(MPO)program.TheRegionalTransportationPlanningProgramextendstransportationplanningbytheRTPO’storuralareasnotcoveredbythefederalprogram.TheRegionalTransportationPlanningProgramisalsointendedtotieinandbeconsistentwithlocalcomprehensiveplanning.

Theregionaltransportationplanningprocessshould:

Guidetheimprovementoftheregionaltransportationsystem.

Useregionallyconsistenttechnicalmethodsanddata.

Considerenvironmentalimpacts.

Ensureearlyandcontinuouspublicinvolvement.

Beconsistentwiththelocalcomprehensiveplanningprocess.

Beanongoingprocess.

Incorporatemultimodalplanningactivities.

Addressmajorcapacityexpansionandoperationalimprovementstotheregionaltransportationsystem.



Beapartnership,includingfederal,state,andlocalgovernments,specialdistricts,privatesector,generalpublic,andothersduringconception,technicalanalysis,policydevelopment,anddecision‐making.

TocomplywithStatestandards,theRTPshallincludethefollowingcomponents:

Descriptionofthedesignatedregionaltransportationsystem.

Regionaltransportationgoals,policies,andstrategy.

Regionallandusestrategy.Existingandproposedlandusesdefinedonlocalandregionalcomprehensivelanduseplansdeterminetheregionaldevelopmentstrategy.

Identificationofregionaltransportationneeds.Aninventoryofexistingregionaltransportationfacilitiesandservices,identificationofcurrentdeficiencies,andforecastoffuturetraveldemandwillbecarriedout.

DevelopmentofLOSstandardsconsistentwithHouseBill1487.

Developmentoffinancialplanfornecessarytransportationsystemimprovements.

Regionaltransportationsystemimprovementandstrategyplan.Specificfacilityorserviceimprovementswillbeidentifiedandprioritiesdetermined.

Establishmentofaperformancemonitoringprogram.Theperformanceofthetransportationsystemwillbemonitoredovertime.Themonitoringmethodology,datacollection,andanalysistechniquestobeusedwillbeoutlined.

PlansforimplementationoftheRTP.

Intergovernmental Coordination InordertomaketheRTPnotonlyaPlantoprovidecarefullythought‐outsolutionstotransportationissuesandproblemsbutalsoaPlanthatalljurisdictionscanimplement,aregionaltransportationplanningcommitteestructurehasbeenestablished.Consistentwiththe1990GMAlegislation,athree‐countyRTCBoardofDirectorshasbeenestablishedtoservetheRTPOregion.IndividualCountyCommitteesandBoardsalsoplayapartintheregionaltransportationdecision‐making.TheKlickitatCountyTransportationPolicyCommitteecontinuestoguideKlickitatCountyregionaltransportationpolicy.Theroleof,andrepresentationon,theRTCBoardofDirectorsandindividualCountyPolicyCommitteesisdescribedintheBylawsofSouthwestWashingtonRegionalTransportationCouncil(lastamendedDecember2017)andInterlocalAgreementforEstablishmentofthe



SouthwestWashingtonRegionalTransportationCouncil.TheregionaltransportationcommitteestructureisoutlinedinFigure1‐2.

Figure 1‐2: Agency Structure

Klickitat County Transportation Policy Committee

TheKlickitatCountyTransportationPolicyCommitteewasestablishedtoprovideafocusforKlickitatCountyregionaltransportationissuesandpolicies.ItiscomposedofrepresentativesofWashingtonStateDepartmentofTransportation(WSDOT),KlickitatCounty,CityofBingen,CityofGoldendale,CityofWhiteSalmon,andthePortofKlickitat.

TheKlickitatCountyTransportationPolicyCommitteecarriesoutregionaltransportationplanningactivitieswithinKlickitatCounty.Otheragenciesandorganizationsarewelcometoparticipateasnon‐votingmembersofthecommittee.Otherlocal/regionalagenciesandorganization(e.g.ColumbiaRiverGorgeCommission,U.S.ForestService,Mid‐ColumbiaEconomicDevelopmentDistrict,andPortofHoodRiver)arewelcometoparticipateasnon‐votingmembersofthecommittee.



Bi‐State Coordination

KlickitatCountyislocatedontheWashingtonsideoftheColumbiaRiverGorgeRegionandbi‐statetravelissignificantwithinthisregion.OregonandWashingtonjurisdictionsintheregionhaveahistoryofcoordinatingtheirtransportationandlanduseplans.Theseplanningeffortsensurethatregionallysignificantaspectsofthetransportationsystemareconsideredwithinabi‐statecontext.

RTCrepresentativesparticipateinbi‐statetransportationopportunitieswithOregonrepresentatives.ThisincludestheGorgeTransLinkgroup,bi‐statestudies,andotherbi‐stateopportunities.Inaddition,RTCwelcomesparticipationofOregonrepresentativesintheKlickitatCountytransportationplanningprocess.CoordinationbetweenWashingtonandOregononbi‐statetransportationneedswillcontinuethroughtheregionaltransportationplanningprocess.

Klickitat County Regional Transportation Plan: Work Plan AsafirststepinpreparationoftheKlickitatCountyRTP,aworkplanwasdeveloped.(SeeFigure1‐3).TheworkplanoutlinesmajortaskstobecoveredinthedevelopmentoftheRTP.TheRTPisdesignedasabenchmarkplantomeetRTPOelementsrequiredbythe1990GMAlegislationandSHB1928legislationof1994.

Outline of RTP Chapters Chapter1: Introduction:RTPVision,Purpose,andGoals.TheRTPisintroducedanditsgeneralgoals,policies,statutoryauthority,andpurposearedescribed.TheRTPprocessisoutlinedaswellasregionaltransportationcommitteestructureandintergovernmentalcooperationandcoordinationoftheRTP.

Chapter2: RegionalLandUseandGrowth.KlickitatCounty’sdemographicdata,developmenttrends,andregionaldevelopmentstrategyarediscussed.Existingandfuturelandusesanddevelopmentpatternsareidentified.

Chapter3: IdentificationofRegionalTransportationNeeds.Theregionaltransportationsystemisdesignatedanddefined.Thecharacteristicsandpatternsoftoday’sandfutureregionaltraveldemand,today’stransportationproblemlocations,andfutureregionalneedsaredescribed.Needscriteriasuchasaccessibility,levelsofservice,andsafetyareoutlined.

Chapter4: FinancialPlan.Revenuesourcesareidentifiedanddescribed,andaplanforfinancingtransportationsystemimprovementsispresented.



Chapter5: SystemImprovementandStrategyPlan.Recommendationsfordevelopmentoftheregionaltransportationsystemaremade.Regionaltransportationgoalsandpoliciesarereviewed.

Chapter6: PerformanceMonitoring.Performancemonitoringmeasuresaredescribed.MonitoringtheRTP’sconsistencywiththestatetransportationplan,localtransportationplans,landuseregulations,andregionaldemographicprojectionsareoutlined.

Chapter7: PlanDevelopmentandImplementation.ProvisionsfortheimplementationofthepublicindevelopmentoftheRTParedescribed.Provisionsfortheimplementationofregionaltransportationgoals,policies,andactionsestablishedbytheRTParedescribed.TheRTPreviewandamendmentprocessisoutlinedshouldchangingpolicies,financialconditions,orgrowthpatternswarrantamendmentofthePlan.TherequiredbiennialupdateoftheRTPisdescribed.

Figure 1‐3: RTP Process

Feedback

Feedback

RTP Vision, Purpose and Goals

MobilityEnvironmentalImpacts

CostsStateTransportationPlan

RegionalTransportationPlanningProgram

Implementation and MonitoringTransportationCommitteesRTCBoardofDirectorsMemberAgencies

Plan Recommendations and Adoption

SystemConceptHighway/Transit/Non‐MotorizedModes

AirQualityDemand/SystemManagement

Financing

Land Use and GrowthDevelopmentStrategyExistingLandUsePlannedLandUse

FuturePopulationandEmploymentForecast

Analysis of Needs and AlternativesRegionalTransportationSystem

TravelDemandAnalysis/EvaluationofAlternatives

FinancingOptions

Chapter 2: Land Use, Growth and Transportation 13


Chapter 2: Land Use, Growth and Transportation

Land Use and Transportation Transportationplanningisaboutmeetingthetraveldemandsofpeopleandgoods.Thetransportationsystemmustconnectpeopletojobsandservicesandconnectfreightandgoodstomarketsandconsumers.Indevelopingaregionaltransportationplan,thefundamentalrelationshipbetweentransportationandlandusemustberecognized,andtheeffectthatlanduseandgrowthhaveontransportationmustbetakenintoconsideration.TheLandUse/TransportationcycleisillustratedinFigure2‐1.

Figure 2‐1: Land Use/Transportation Cycle

Thelinkagebetweenlanduseandtransportationisacomplexissue,butonasimplelevel,thelinkagecanbethoughtofasworkingintwoways:



1. Thespatialdistributionandtypeoflanduseactivityinfluenceboththedemandfortravelandtravelcharacteristics.Differenttypesoflandusegenerateandattractdifferingtrafficrates;forexample,retaillanduseswillgeneratemoretripsthanresidentiallanduses.

2. Improvingaccessbyexpandingthetransportationsystemallowsforthedevelopmentoflandthatwasformerlyinaccessible.

Landuseandtransportationareinter‐linkedbecauselanduseactivitieslargelydeterminetraveldemandanddesire.Whendifferentlandusesaresegmentedorsegregated,lengthoftripstendstoincrease.Forexample,peoplehavetotravelbetweentheirhomesandtheirworkplaces.Tomeetmobilityneeds,theselongertripsusuallyhavetobeservedbytheautomobile,thusreducingtheuseoftransportationalternatives,suchaswalkingortransit.

Growth and Development Sustainedeconomicdevelopmentandgrowthwithinaregionisdesirablebecauseoftheeconomicbenefitsthatincreasedemploymentandalargertaxbasecanbring.However,whilegrowthcancontributetothehealthofaregion’seconomy,itcanalsohavenegativeimpacts.Unmanaged,fastratesofgrowthcanhaveasevereimpactontheabilityofacommunitytoprovideneededinfrastructureandservices.

Theneedtomaintaineconomicviabilityandatthesametime,qualityoflife,isachallenge.Elementsthatcontributetoadesirablequalityoflifeincludejobopportunities,affordablehousing,ahealthyenvironmentwithcleanair,andrecreationalopportunities.Anefficient,safetransportationsystemcontributestothequalityoflifeforresidentsofaregionandcanactasanattractorforeconomicdevelopment.Conversely,atransportationsystemdependentondeterioratingandoutmodedfacilitiescanbeaninhibitortotheefficient,safemovementofpeopleandgoods.



Growth in Klickitat County

KlickitatCountyhasseenmoderategrowthinthelastfewdecades.TheU.S.CensusBureau,WashingtonState’sOfficeofFinancialManagement(OFM),andBureauofEconomicAnalysis(BEA)providedthefollowingdata.BEAemploymentincludesallwageandsalariedjobsaswellasproprietorsjobsthatincludessoleproprietor,self‐employed,andfarmemployment.

Aftersignificantgrowthintheearly2000’s,theUnitedStatesexperiencedasignificantrecessionbeginninginlate2007.Thisrecessionimpactedregionalpopulationandemploymentgrowthforapproximately5years.

Between1990and2010thepopulationofthecountyincreasedby22%from16,616to20,318,whilethenumberofhousingunitsincreasedby35%from7,238to9,786.TheincreaseinBEAemploymentwas39%from7,508in1990to10,430in2010(seeFigure2‐2).Muchofthegrowthoccurredbetween1990and2007,whilegrowthslowedbetween2007and2010.By2016,thecountypopulationhadincreasedto21,270people,with10,432housingunitsand10,775jobs.

Figure 2‐2: Population Housing and Employment Growth

KlickitatCountyhasseenalargeincreaseinrecreationactivitydueinparttotheColumbiaRiverGorgeNationalScenicAreaandavarietyofotherrecreationalopportunities.Thegrowthinrecreationactivitiesseeninthecountyinthelastfewdecadeshasincreaseddemandsontheregionaltransportationsystem.

Developmentofatransportationpolicyplanmustconsiderhowtoplanforatransportationsystemthatcansupportincreasesintraveldemandcausedbygrowthinpopulation,employment,andrecreationalactivity.Atthesametime,thissystemhastobeaffordableandminimizeenvironmentalimpactstomaintainthe

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qualityoflife.Asafe,efficienttransportationsystemcanworktoenhanceeconomicdevelopmentwithinaregion.

General Land Uses in Klickitat County KlickitatCountyisaruralcountylocatedinsouthcentralWashington.Approximatelytwo‐thirdsofKlickitatCountyresidentsliveinunincorporatedareas.ThethreeincorporatedpopulationcentersarelocatedinGoldendaleinthecentralpartofthecountyandinBingenandWhiteSalmoninthesouthwestcornerofthecounty.Thecountyis84mileslongandvariesbetween13and29mileswide.Thetotalareaofthecountyis1,904squaremiles.KlickitatCountyranks16thinsizeamongWashington’s39countiesand29thinpopulation.

Klickitat County’s economic base is tied to agriculture, timber and forestry, the Roosevelt Regional Landfill, aerospace and high technology, and wind power with a significant percentage of its work force in agriculture and manufacturing. In recent years, growth has been concentrated around the White Salmon/Bingen and Dallesport areas.

Theprovisionofpublicfacilitiesandservices,includingtransportation,isaprincipaldeterminantoflandusepatterns.LandusepatternsinKlickitatCountyhaveevolvedlargelyasaresultofitsresidents’dependenceontheautomobile.AlookatlanduseforKlickitatCountyindicatesthatresidentialdevelopmenthasoccurredmainlyalongstatehighwaysandmajorruralarterials.

Planned Land Use Comprehensiveplansarethemeansbywhichlocaljurisdictionscanplanfortheirfuturegrowthanddevelopment;theycanprovideaprocessforanticipatingandinfluencingtheorderlyandcoordinateddevelopmentofland.WithinWashingtonState,planningauthorityisdelegatedbythestatetolocalgovernmentsinRCW

36.70A,35.63and35A.63.Comprehensiveplansarerequiredtohavealanduseelementshowingthegeneraldistributionandlocationoflandforvarioususes,aswellasacirculationelementshowingthestreetsystemandtransportationroutes.KlickitatCountyandincorporatedcitiesofBingen,Goldendale,andWhiteSalmonallhavecurrentlyadoptedcomprehensiveplans.



TheColumbiaRiverGorgeCommissionhasadoptedandisadministeringaColumbiaRiverGorgeManagementPlanpursuanttotherequirementsoftheNationalScenicAreaAct.WithintheColumbiaRiverGorgeNationalScenicArea,futureresidentialandcommercialdevelopmentisencouragedtooccurintheUrbanAreas,butthereisallowanceforsomeresidentialdevelopmentoutsidetheurbanareas.Inaddition,therearetwofederallydesignatedWildandScenicRiversegmentsthathaveadoptedmanagementplansareadministeredbytheForestService.

Population and Employment Forecast TheWashingtonStateOfficeofFinancialManagement(OFM)developspopulationforecastsforallcountiesintheStateofWashington.Theirforecastcontainsalow,medium,andhighestimate.The2017forecastdevelopedbyOFMfor2040populationinKlickitatCountyrangesfromalowof17,583toahighof26,954.ForthepurposeoftheRegionalTransportationPlan,amedium‐highforecastof24,442willbeused.The2040forecastrepresentsa20%or4,124increaseinpopulationfrom2010to2040.

HousingandemploymentforecastsforKlickitatCountyweredevelopedbyRTCbasedonOFMpopulationforecastandhistoricaltrends.Estimated2040housingis12,094units.The2040forecastrepresentsa24%or2,308increaseinhousingunitsfrom2010to2040.Estimated2040employmentis13,138.This2040forecastrepresentsa21%or2,131increaseinemploymentfrom2010to2040(seeFigure2‐3).

Figure 2‐3: Population, Housing, and Employment Forecast

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Demographic and Travel Trends

Growthinpopulationandemployment,development,andresultinglandusepatternstogetherwithitsdistributionallaffecttraveldemand.However,otherdemographicfactorsalsoinfluencetraveldemand.Thesefactorsincludehouseholdsize,workforceparticipation,employmentpatterns,andvehicleownership.

Householdsizeisonedemographicfactorsthatinfluenceslanduseanddemandfortransportationservices.Between1970and2010therewasatrendtowardsmallerhouseholdsizeinKlickitatCountyduetomoresingle‐personhouseholdsandsmallerfamilysize.Theaveragenumberofpersonsperhousingunitwas2.60in1970,buthadfallento2.08by2010.The2040forecastis2.02personsperhousingunit.

Thefuturepopulationisexpectedtobecomeolderwithahigherproportionofthetotalpopulationhavingdisabilities.Itisestimatedbetween2010and2040personsovertheageof65willincreasefrom18%ofthepopulationtoapproximately34%ofthepopulation.In2016,thosewithadisabilitymadeupapproximately19%oftheCountypopulationandthisisexpectedtoincreasetoover20%infutureyears.Withanagingpopulationandagrowingnumberofindividualswithdisabilities,futuredemandandtraveltrendsareexpectedtochange.

Anotherdemographictrendthataffectstraveldemandistheincreaseintwo‐workerhouseholds.Typically,thetwoworkersinthehouseholdeachuseanautotogettowork,usetheautoforworkpurposeswhileatwork,useittorunerrandsatlunchtimeandbeforeorafterwork,andiftheyhaveafamily,totaketheirchildrentoactivities.Allresultinpeople’sincreasedrelianceontheautomobilethatpeopleconsidertheirmostconvenienttransportationmode.

Employmentpatternshavealsobeenchanging,witharelativedeclineseeninthetraditionalindustrialortimberjobsandanincreaseinservicesectoremployment.Withmoderntechnology,therehasalsobeenarapidgrowthinworkerswhoareabletoworkathome.Inaddition,thereisatrendforasignificantnumberof

KlickitatCountyresidentstobeemployedinothercounties.The2010Censusshowsthat30.8%ofthecountyresidentsworkedoutsideofKlickitatCounty.Table2‐1showsdataofthoselivingand/orworkinginKlickitatCounty.



Table 2‐1: Klickitat Work Flow by County

Place of Residence Place of Work 2000 2000

Percent 2010 2010

Percent 2000‐2010 Change

Klickitat County Klickitat County 5,632 73.5% 5,340 69.2% ‐292

Hood River Co., OR 688 9.0% 625 8.1% ‐63

Wasco Co., OR 680 8.9% 945 12.3% 265

Skamania Co., WA 147 1.9% 340 4.4% 193

Yakima Co., WA 104 1.4% 50 0.6% ‐54

Sherman Co., OR 73 1.0% 65 0.8% ‐8

Benton Co., WA 44 0.6% 10 0.1% ‐34

Other Washington 137 1.8% 153 2.0% 16

Other Oregon 109 1.4% 154 2.0% 45

Other 50 0.6% 32 0.4% ‐18

Klickitat Co. Employed Workforce 7,664 7,714 50

Klickitat County Klickitat County 5,632 84.8% 5,340 80.3% ‐292

Hood River Co., OR 167 2.5% 255 3.8% 88

Wasco Co., OR 399 6.0% 245 3.7% ‐154

Skamania Co., WA 205 3.1% 340 5.1% 135

Yakima Co., WA 82 1.2% 35 0.5% ‐47

Other Washington 65 1.0% 259 3.9% 194

Other Oregon 92 1.4% 84 1.3% ‐8

Other 2 0.0% 92 1.4% 90

Employment within Klickitat County 6,644 6,650 6

TraveldemandhasalsogrownasthenumberofpassengervehiclesinKlickitatCountyhasincreasedinthepastfewdecades.Aspopulationhasincreased,therehasbeenanincreaseinthenumberofvehiclesregisteredinKlickitatCountyaddingtothedemandsputonthetransportationsystem.In2010,therewere13,127registeredpassengervehicleswith69.3%oftheKlickitatCountyhouseholdshavingtwoormorevehiclesavailable.Therelationshipbetweenlanduseandtransportationshouldbecarefullyconsideredwhendevelopingavisionforfuturegrowthandfuturegrowthpatterns.

ThereareseveraltrendsthataffectseasonaltraveldemandwithinKlickitatCounty.First,isthetrendofadditionalretiredresidentswholiveinKlickitatCounty,butspendtheirwintersinawarmerclimate.Theseresidentsaddtothelocaltrafficfromspringtofall.Second,istheincreasedpopularityoftheColumbiaRiverGorgeareaasarecreationalattractor.SinceitsdesignationasaNationalScenicArea,summertrafficvolumeshaverapidlyincreased.

Table2‐2alsoprovidesinformationthatcompares2000and2010CensusJourneytoWorkdata.Thisdatadisplaysseveraltrendsimpactingthecommutertraveltimes.First,thedatashowsthatcommutetimeshavedecreasedbyover2minutes.Second,theuseofdrivealone,bicycleorwalk,andworkfromhomehaveincreased.



Third,therehasbeenasignificantdeclineinthenumberofpeoplewhocarpoolontheirjourneytowork.

Table 2‐2: Work Travel Mode

Klickitat County 2000 2000

Percent 2010 2010

Percent 2000‐2010

Growth

2000‐2010 Percent Change

2010 WA State

Percent

Drive Alone 5,505 71.8% 5,810 75.3% 305 5.5% 72.3%

Carpool 1,182 15.4% 854 11.1% ‐328 ‐27.7% 11.6%

Transit 51 0.7% 14 0.2% ‐37 ‐72.5% 5.6%

Bicycle or Walked 363 4.7% 465 6.0% 102 28.1% 4.3%

Motorcycle/Other 90 1.2% 65 0.7% ‐25 ‐27.8% 1.2%

Worked at Home 473 6.2% 525 6.8% 52 11.0% 5.1%

Totals 6,285 100.0% 7,666 100.0% 1,380 22.0% 100.0%

Mean Travel Time to Work (minutes) 21.9 n/a 19.5 n/a ‐2.4 n/a 25.4

Chapter 3: Identification of Regional Transportation Needs 21


Chapter 3: Identification of Regional Transportation Needs

Current Functional Classification of the Regional Roadway System Functionalclassificationisthegroupingofhighways,roads,andstreetsbythecharacterofservicetheyprovide.Comprehensivetransportationplanningusesfunctionalclassificationtodeterminehowtravelcanbechannelizedwithinthenetworkinalogicalandefficientmanner.Afunctionalclassificationdefinesthemajorrolethataroadorstreetserveswithinthetotalexistingandfutureroadwaynetwork.Insimpleterms,highways,streets,androadsfunctionasarterials,collectors,orlocalaccess.Arterialsprovidethehighestdegreeofmobilityandlimitedaccesstolocalproperty.Collectorsgenerallyprovideequalemphasisuponmobilityandlandaccess.Localroadsandstreetsemphasizelandaccessinlieuofmobility.

TheWashingtonStateDepartmentofTransportation(WSDOT)hastheprimaryresponsibilityfordevelopingandupdatingthehighwayfunctionalclassificationsystem.Theyworkcooperativelywithlocalandregionalagenciesindevelopingandupdatingthefunctionalclassificationsystem.TheFederalFunctionalClassificationsystemforKlickitatCountyroadshasbeencompletedandresultedinacountywideuniformclassificationsystem.Generally,facilitiesclassifiedasMajorCollectororaboveinruralareasareeligibleforfederalfunding.FurtherinformationonthefunctionalclassificationofroadscanbefoundonWSDOT’swebsite.Astatewidemapofthefederalfunctionalclassificationisavailable,allowingthezoomingintoKlickitatCountyandCitydetail.

ISTEAalsorequiredthatroadsbedesignatedasNationalHighwaySystem(NHS)facilities.CongressapprovedtheNHSSystemwithpassageoftheNationalHighwaySystemDesignationActof1995.InKlickitatCounty,theHoodRiverBridge,SR‐97,andSR‐14(betweentheSkamaniaCountylineandSR‐97)aredesignatedasNHSfacilities.

In1999,thestatelegislatureadoptedHighwaysofStatewideSignificance,fulfillingarequirementofHouseBill1487passedin1998.InKlickitat,SR‐97andSR‐14



(betweentheSkamaniaCountylineandSR‐97)aredesignatedasHighwaysofStatewideSignificance.

Adescriptionoftheruralfunctionalclassificationcategoriesfollows:

Rural Principal Arterials

Ruralprincipalarterialsaresub‐dividedintotwosets(1)interstatefacilitiesand(2)otherprincipalarterials.Ruralprincipalarterialsservecorridormovementshavingtriplengthandtraveldensitycharacteristicsofstatewideorinterstatetravel.Theyconsistofaconnectedruralnetworkofcontinuousroutes.

Rural Minor Arterials

Inconjunctionwiththeprincipalarterials,theruralminorarterialsformaruralnetworkwhichlinkcitiesandlargertownstogetherwithothermajortrafficgenerators.Theprincipalarterialsandruralminorarterialsarespacedatsuchintervalsthatalldevelopedareasofthestatearewithinareasonabledistanceofanarterialhighway.Minorarterialsshouldbeexpectedtoprovideforrelativelyhighoveralltravelspeedswithminimuminterferencetothroughmovement.

Rural Major Collector Roads

Ruralmajorcollectorsprovideservicetolargertownsnotdirectlyservedbythehighersystemsandtoothertrafficgeneratorsofequivalentimportance.Ruralmajorcollectorsservethemoreimportanttravelcorridorswithinthecounty.

Rural Minor Collector Roads

Ruralminorcollectorsarespacedatintervals,consistentwithpopulationdensity,tocollecttrafficfromlocalroadsandprovidedevelopedareaswithreasonable



distancetoacollectorroad.Ruralminorcollectorsprovideservicetotheremainingsmallercommunitiesandlinkthelocallyimportanttrafficgeneratorswithsurroundingruralareas.

Rural Local Roads

Localstreetsprovidedirectaccesstoabuttinglandandaccesstothehigherclassificationfacilities.Theyofferthelowestlevelofmobility.Theyarenotintendedtocarrythroughtraffic;however,theydomakeupalargepercentageofthetotalstreetmileage.

Designation of the RTP Regional Transportation System Consistentwiththestate’sRegionalTransportationPlanningProgramPlanningStandards,theRTPregionaltransportationsystemhasbeendesignatedtoinclude:

1. Allstatetransportationfacilitiesandservices(includingstatehighways).

2. Alllocalprincipalarterials(thedefinitionofruralprincipalarterialscanbethesameasusedforfederalclassificationorberegionallydetermined).

3. Allothertransportationfacilitiesandservices,includingairports,transitservicesandfacilities,roadways,bridges,railfacilities,marinetransportationfacilities,etc.thattheRTPOconsidersnecessarytocompletetheregionalplan.

4. Anytransportationfacilityorservicethatisregionallyneededorimpactsplacesintheplan,asdeterminedbytheRTPO.

AdetaileddescriptionofthedesignatedRTPRegionalTransportationSystemfollows:

All State Transportation Facilities and Services

InKlickitatCountythiscategoryincludesthefollowingStateRoutes:SR‐14,SR‐35,SR‐97,SR‐141,SR‐141Spur,SR‐142,andSR‐197.

SR‐14providesthemaineast‐westaccessfromtheSkamania/KlickitatCountylinetosouth‐eastBenton/KlickitatCountylinealongthenorthbankoftheColumbiaRiver.Thefacilityhasonelaneineachdirectionandextends88.76milesthroughKlickitatCountybetweenSkamaniaCountyandBentonCountylines.

SR‐35willprovideafuturelinkacrosstheColumbiaRivertoOregonintheBingen/WhiteSalmonarea.CurrentlytheHoodRiverBridgeisservingasthislink.



SR‐97providesthemainsouth‐centralaccessfromtheColumbiaRiver(Oregon)tonorth‐centralYakima/KlickitatCountyline,throughGoldendalethecountyseat.Thefacilityhasonelaneineachdirectionandextends33.52milesthroughKlickitatCountybetweentheStateofOregonandYakimaCountyline.

SR‐141providesnorthandsouthaccessfromBingentotheSkamania/KlickitatCountylinenearTroutLake.Thefacilityhasonelaneineachdirectionandextends29.19milesfromSR‐14toitsendattheSkamania/KlickitatCountyline.

SR‐141SpurprovidesnorthandsouthaccessfromSR‐14neartheKlickitat/SkamaniaCountylinetoSR‐141northwestofWhiteSalmon.Thefacilityhasonelaneineachdirectionandextends2.16miles.

SR‐142providesaccessfromLyletoGoldendale.Thefacilityhasonelaneineachdirectionandextends35.29milesfromSR‐14(Lyle)toSR‐97(Goldendale).

SR‐197providesnorthandsouthaccessfromTheDalles,Oregon,acrosstheColumbiaRivertoSR‐14.Thefacilityhasonelaneineachdirectionandextends3.18milesfromtheColumbiaRivertoSR‐14nearDallesport,Washington.

All Local Principal Arterials

InadditiontoStateRoutes,theonlyotherruralprincipalarterialinKlickitatCountyistheHoodRiverBridge.

TheHoodRiverBridgehasaverticalliftspanandcrossestheColumbiaRiverbetweenHoodRiver,OregonandWhiteSalmon,Washington.ItconnectsInterstate84/U.S.Route30ontheOregonsidewithWashingtonStateRoute14.Thefacilityhasonesubstandardlaneineachdirectionandisapproximatelyonemilelong.

All Other Transportation Facilities and Services Considered Necessary to Complete the Regional Transportation Plan

Theseincludetransitservicesandfacilities,roadways,railfacilities,airports,marinetransportationfacilities,etc.

Rural Major Collectors

Alllocalmajorcollectorsaredesignatedaspartoftheregionaltransportationsystem.MajorcollectorsincludesuchfacilitiesasMapleSt.,N.MainSt.,DockGradeRd.,DewaltDrive,EstesAv.,AlderdaleRd.,McKinleySpringsRd.,RooseveltGrade/EastRd.,BickletonHwy.,BZ‐GlenwoodHwy.,GlenwoodHwy.,TroutLakeHwy./SunnysideRd./WarnerRd.,SnowdenRd.,CanyonRd.,CentervilleHwy.,



DallesportRd.,NWLoopRd.,SouthColumbusAv.,HorseshoeBendRd./SimcoeMtn.Rd,Mt.AdamsRd,W.DarlandRd.,RailroadAv.,S.RooseveltSt.,SimcoeDr.,andOldHwy8.

Port Facilities

KlickitatCountyhasonePortDistrict,theKlickitatCountyPortDistrict#1.ThisPortDistrictisnotacountywideportdistrict,butdoesincludemostofwesternKlickitatCounty.TheportdistrictdoesexcludethecountyseatofGoldendale.ThePortofKlickitatownsandoperatestwobusiness/industrialparkswithinthecounty.First,theporthas142acresofcommercial/recreational/lightindustrialzonedproperty,whichfrontstheColumbiaRiveratRiverMile172,locatedtothesouthoftheCityofBingen.Thisbusinessparkincludesapproximately55acresofdevelopableproperty,30acresoflakeandwetland,a18acreboatbasin,andaboatlaunchandparkarea.Secondly,theporthasa660acreindustrialparkatDallesport.Theparkisservedbyallutilities,rail,andabargedockfacility.ThepropertyislocatedontheColumbiaRiveratRiverMile192,upriverfromTheDallesDam,andisadjacenttoSR‐197,onemilefromInterstate84inOregon,andonemilefromtheDallesportregionalairport.

TheregionaltransportationsystemincludesimportantPortroads,suchasMarinaWay,LarchSt.,BingenPointWay,DockRd.,DowRd.,andParallelAv.ThiswouldalsoincludethenewrailroadundercrossingthatWSDOTplanstoconstructin2020betweenSR‐14andMarinaWaytoimproveaccesstoBingenPoint.

Airport Facilities

TherearetwopublicairfieldscurrentlyoperatinginKlickitatCounty.TheairfieldsarelocatedinGoldendaleandDallesport.TheairfieldinDallesport(TheColumbiaGorgeregionalAirport)isco‐ownedandoperatedbytheCityofTheDalles(Oregon)andKlickitatCounty.TheColumbiaGorgeRegionalAirportalsoincludesabusinesspark.TheGoldendaleMunicipalAirportisacityownedairportwithrunwayandtiedownarea.

Inadditiontopublicairfields,thereareseveralprivatelandingstripsinKlickitatCounty.ThenearestregionalairportwithdomesticandinternationalpassengerandfreightserviceisthePortlandInternationalAirport(PDX).PDXislocatedinPortland,Oregon,approximately70mileswestoftheBingen/WhiteSalmonarea.

Bridges

AllpublicbridgesincludingColumbiaRiverbridgesaredesignatedaspartoftheregionaltransportationsystem.Allbridgesareimportanttothemovementofpeopleand



goodswithintheregion.OfgreatimportancearethosebridgesthatcrosstheColumbiaRiver.

TherearethreebridgesinKlickitatCountycrossingtheColumbiaRiverbetweenWashingtonandOregon,connectingSR‐14toInterstate84.TheHoodRiverBridgeisatwolanedtollbridgeownedandmaintainedbythePortofHoodRiver,connectingHoodRiver,OregontoBingen/WhiteSalmon,Washington.TheSR‐197BridgeisatwolanedbridgeconnectingTheDalles,OregontoDallesport,Washington.TheSR‐197BridgeismaintainedbyODOT.TheSR‐97BridgeisatwolanedbridgeconnectingBiggsJunction,Oregon,andMaryhill,Washington.TheSR‐97BridgeismaintainedbyWSDOT.

Inaddition,theWashingtonStateLegislaturedesignatedanSR‐35corridorinthe1997legislativesession.TheSR‐35corridorwillprovideafuturelinkacrosstheColumbiaRivertoOregonintheBingen/WhiteSalmonarea.ADraftEnvironmentalImpactStatementforafuturerivercrossingintheSR‐35corridorwascompletedin2004,aTypeSizeandLocationStudywascompletedin2011,andaFinalEnvironmentalImpactStatementwillbethenextstepintheprojectdevelopmentprocess.

Columbia River

Historically,theColumbiaRiverhasalwaysbeenanimportanttransportationcorridortoKlickitatCounty.TheColumbiaRiver,asatransportationcorridor,isusedtodaytomovegoodsbybargeandpeoplebyboat.TourboatsalsovisittheColumbiaRiveranddockwithintheregion.



Public Transportation

KlickitatCountySeniorServicesrunsMt.AdamsTransit.Mt.AdamsTransitoperatesageneraldemandresponsepublictransportationsysteminKlickitatCounty.Serviceincludesbothbusesandvolunteerdrivers.

Although,thedial‐a‐rideserviceprovidespreferencetoseniorsandpersonswithdisabilities,allCountyresidentsareeligible.Themajorityofsystemtripsareformedical,socialservices,shopping,andeducationalopportunities.Mt.AdamsTransportationgoestoallareasofKlickitatCounty,TheDalles,andHoodRiveronaregularbasis.Mt.AdamsTransportationoftengoestothePortland/VancouverandYakimaregionsformedicalservices.

Beginninginthesummerof2018Mt.AdamsTransitwillstarttwonewweekdayfixedbusroutesthatwillrunfromapproximately7amto7pm.OneroutewillconnectWhiteSalmonandBingentoHoodRiver,OregonandtheotherroutewillconnectGoldendaletoTheDalles,Oregon.TheWhiteSalmonroutewillconnecttoboththeHoodRiverCityRouteandtotheColumbiaGorgeExpressroute.TheseconnectionswillprovideKlickitatCountyresidentswithservicearoundtheCityofHoodRiver(ColumbiaAreaTransit)andtoCascadeLocks,MultnomahFalls,RoosterRockStatePark,andPortlandGatewayTransitCenter(ColumbiaGorgeExpress.

GrantsthroughtheWashingtonStateDepartmentofTransportationareessentialinmaintainingtheexistingservice.In1998,thevotersofKlickitatrejected,byasmallmargin,anincreaseinsalestaxtofundaPublicTransportationBenefitArea(PTBA).

Mt.AdamsTransitparticipateswithGorgeTransLinkcoalition.TheGorgeTransLinkisanallianceoftransportationprovidersofferingpublictransportationservicesthroughouttheMid‐ColumbiaRiverGorgeareaaswellastodestinations,suchasPortlandandVancouver.ThegoalofthiscoordinationeffortistoimproveinterconnectivitybetweenthevarioustransitprovidersintheMid‐ColumbiaRiverRegioninbothOregonandWashington.

Rail Facilities

ThereisonemainraillineinuseinKlickitatCountywhichprovidesfreightandpassengerservice.BurlingtonNorthernSantaFeRailroad(BNSF)ownstherailline.TheBNSFVancouver/EasternWashingtonlinehasonetrackingoodconditionwithapproximately60trainsoperatingonthemdaily.WithinKlickitatCounty,therearevitaltransfersiteslocatedatBingen,Dallesport,Roosevelt,andWishram.AMTRAKalsohasanagreementwithBNSFtooperatepassengerserviceonthefreightcarrier’sraillines.Sevendaysaweek,theAMTRAKEmpireBuildertravelsthroughKlickitatCountybotheastandwestbetweenPortland,OregonandChicago,Illinois,withstopsinBingenandWishram.

Alongthemainrailline,therearesevenpublicandnumerousprivateat‐graderailroadcrossingsinKlickitatCounty.Thepublicat‐graderailroadcrossingsarelistedinTable3‐1.



Table 3‐1: Klickitat County Public Railroad Crossings

Road Warning System

Dock Grade (White Salmon) Warning Lights and Drawbars

Walnut St. (Bingen) Warning Lights (Soon to be upgraded)

Maple St. (Bingen) Warning Lights and Drawbars

Old Ferry Rd. (Dallesport) Warning Lights

Horsethief Park Stop Sign

Avery Rd. Warning Lights

Stonehenge Rd. (Maryhill) Warning Light and Drawbars

Enhancements

Transportationenhancementsaredesignedaspartoftheregionaltransportationsystem.Enhancementsincludefacilitiesforbicyclesandpedestrians,scenicvistas,thematicsignage,reststops,touristinformation,androadsidebeautificationalongtheregionalroadnetwork.

Growth in Traffic Volumes Asaresultofsocio‐economicanddemographicchangesdescribedinChapter2,KlickitatCountyhasseenanincreaseintrafficvolumesinrecentyears,especiallyaroundthecommunitiesofBingen/WhiteSalmonandDallesport.WashingtonStateDepartmentofTransportationcompilestrafficcountdataalongStateRoutes.ExamplesofgrowthintrafficvolumesatselectedlocationsalongStateRoutesinKlickitatCountyarelistedinTable3‐2:

Table 3‐2: Traffic Volumes 2004 to 2017

Location Leg 2004

Volumes 2017

Volumes % Increase

SR‐14 at SR‐141 Spur E 6,600 8,400 27%

SR‐14 at Hood River Br. E 8,300 12,000 45%

SR‐14 at SR‐97 E 4,700 4,700 0%

SR‐14 at Benton Co. Ln. W 830 1,100 32%

SR‐197 at Columbia Rv. N 5,300 7,200 36%

SR‐97 at Columbia Rv. N 5,100 5,400 6%

SR‐97 at Goldendale N 4,800 5,200 8%

Future Travel Demand FutureautotraveldemandwasforecastedfortheKlickitatCountyregionbasedonhistorictrends,netchangesinlanduseandactivitylevels,applyingappropriate



trafficgenerationrates,andthenusingtripdistributioninformationtodeterminethedirectionoftravel.

TheRTPnetworkisconsideredtobethesametransportationnetworkasexiststoday.Itisusedonlyasabasecasescenarioforforecastingfuturetraveldemandandpotentialtrafficvolumesonroadsegmentsanddoesnotconstitutearecommendednetwork.TrafficvolumescoulddiffersignificantlyfromthosethatresultfromthefuturetripassignmentontotheRTPnetworkifsignificantchangestothepopulation,landuse,ortransportationsystemoccur.

BurlingtonNorthernSantaFeoperatestheeast‐westrailroadroutealongtheWashingtonsideoftheColumbiaRiverGorgeandthroughKlickitatCounty.Thisrouteiscurrentlyexperiencingcapacityconstraintsandwillcontinuetointhefuturewithoutsomekindofexpansion.Withamoderateincreaseinpopulation,KlickitatCountyhasadequateairportfacilities.TheColumbiaRiversystemisanimportanttransportationcorridorforthemovementofgoods.Inordertomeetthetraveldemandassociatedwiththiscorridor,itwillbeessentialtopreserveappropriatechanneldepthsandwidthsforshippingandtomaintaincurrentlockhandlingcapacity.Walkingandbicyclingareintegralpartsofthetransportationsystem.Peoplewalkandbikeforvarioustrips.Walkingandbicyclingtripsareusuallyshortanddemandisgreaterinurbanareas.However,thereisademandforbicyclingfacilitiesalongmajorcorridorsandroutes.Publictransitisanimportantaspectofthetransportationsystem,especiallyforthosewithlimitedincome,elderly,anddisabled.Withanagingpopulationandpercapitaincomelowerthanthestateaverage,thedemandforpublictransitislikelytoincreaseinKlickitatCounty.

Levels of Service Levelsofservicestandardsrepresenttheminimumperformanceleveldesiredfortransportationfacilitiesandserviceswithintheregion.Theyareusedasagaugeforevaluatingthequalityofserviceonthetransportationsystemandcanbedescribedbytraveltimes,travelspeed,freedomtomaneuver,trafficinterruptions,comfort,convenience,andsafety.TheselevelsofservicearedesignatedAthroughF,frombesttoworst.LevelofserviceEdescribesconditionsapproachingandatcapacity.Foruninterruptedflowconditions,thefollowingdefinitions1apply:

LevelofServiceAdescribesfreeflowconditions,withlowvolumesandhighspeeds.Thegenerallevelofcomfortandconvenienceprovidedtothemotorist,passenger,orpedestrianisexcellent.

LevelofServiceBisintherangeofstableflowbutthepresenceofotherusersinthetrafficstreambeginstobenoticeable.Freedomtoselectdesiredspeedsisrelativelyunaffected,butthereisaslightdeclineinthefreedomtomaneuverwiththetrafficstreamfromLevelofServiceA.

1 From Highway Capacity Manual



LevelofServiceCisstillintherangeofstableflow,butmarksthebeginningoftherangeofflowinwhichtheoperationofindividualusersbecomessignificantlyaffectedbyinteractionswithothersinthetrafficstream.Thegenerallevelofcomfortandconveniencedeclinesnoticeablyatthislevel.

LevelofServiceDrepresentshigh‐density,butstableflow.Speedandfreedomtomaneuverareseverelyrestricted,andthedriverorpedestrianexperiencesagenerallypoorlevelofcomfortandconvenience.

LevelofServiceErepresentsoperatingconditionsatornearthecapacitylevel.Allspeedsarereducedtoalow,butrelativelyuniformvalue.Comfortandconveniencelevelsareextremelypooranddriverorpedestrianfrustrationisgenerallyhigh.

LevelofServiceFdescribesforcedorbreakdownflow.Theseconditionsusuallyresultfromqueuesofvehiclesbackingupfromarestrictiondownstream.Operationswithinthequeuearecharacterizedbystop‐and‐gowaves,andtheyareextremelyunstable.

Level of Service Standards In1998,theWashingtonStateLegislaturepassedtheLevelofService(LOS)Bill.TheBillsetnewrequirementsrelatingtotransportationandgrowthmanagementplanning.Theintentofthelegislationwastoenhancethecoordinationofplanningeffortsandplanconsistencyatthelocal,regional,andstatelevel.Thekeyapplicableelementsinclude:

HighwaysofStatewideSignificance:TheStatemustgivehigherprioritytocorrectingidentifieddeficienciesontransportationfacilitiesofstatewidesignificance.DesignationofHighwaysofStatewideSignificance(HSS)wascompletedin1999.InKlickitatCounty,theHSSsystemincludesSR‐97andSR‐14,betweentheSkamaniaCountylineandSR‐97.WSDOThasestablishedanLOS‘C’forruralHSSfacilitieslikeSR‐14.

Non‐HighwaysofStatewideSignificance:Non‐HSSstatehighways,otherwiseknownasHighwaysofRegionalSignificance,inKlickitatCountyincludetheremainingportionofSR‐14,SR‐141,SR‐142,andSR‐197.TheRTPOhasestablishedanLOS‘C’forruralnon‐HSS.

Capacity Analysis TheHighwayCapacityManualmethodologywasusedtoanalyzeroadwaylevelofservicewithintheKlickitatCountyRegionbasedonP.M.peakhourtraffic.Inaddition,thereareseverallocationswithcapacitydeficienciesassociatedwithsubstandardcurvesandsteepgrades,whichcreateaparticularproblemonsome



facilitiesduetothemixoftrucks,recreationalvehicles,andautos.DeficientsegmentsassociatedwithcapacityareincludedinTable3‐3.

Table 3‐3: Deficient Capacity Segment

Road Mile Post Deficient Capacity Segment LOS

SR‐14 65.95‐66.96 Bingen C

SR‐14 100.2‐101.44 SR‐14 Maryhill Spur to SR‐97 C

Hood River

Bridge

Columbia

River

Hood River Bridge: between SR‐14 and I‐84 C

SR‐97 0.00‐12.67 Biggs Rapid Bridge to End Climbing Lane C

SR‐97 20.29‐27.16 Allen Creek Road to Ski Lodge Road C

SR‐97 30.80‐31.44 Satus Creek Bridge Vicinity C

Safety Analysis Improvingsafetyforallmodesoftransportationiscriticaltoimprovingqualityoflifeandimprovingaccessforallthecitizensoftheregion.WashingtonState’sStrategicHighwaySafetyPlan,TargetZero,establishesastatewidepolicyofzerofatalitiesandzerodisablinginjurycollisionsby2030.TargetZero,helpstoassessthesafetyneedsstatewide,encouragingandpromotinggoodsafetypracticesinthedesignandoperationofthetransportationsystem,aswellaspromotingsafetybysystemusers.TargetZerosetsstate‐widepriorities,providesaresourceforpotentialstrategies,andmonitorsoutcomeatastatewidelevel.

StatewidetrafficsafetyprioritieswereusedtodisplayKlickitatCountyfatalityandseriousinjurydata.Table3‐4showstheKlickitatCountyFatalityandSeriousInjuryFactorsbystatewideprioritiesbetweenyears2014‐2016.Sincemorethanonefactoriscommonlyinvolvedinmostcollisions,thefatalitiesandseriousinjuriesby

factordonotmatchthetotalsatthebottomofthetable.TheTotalsatthebottomofthetablerepresenttheactualnumberoffatalities(16)andseriousinjuries(58)overthethreeyearperiod.



Table 3‐4: Klickitat County Fatality and Serious Injury Factors, 2014‐2016

Fatalities Serious Injuries

# of People % of Total # of People % of Total

Priority Level One

Run Off the Road 5 71.4% 24 61.5%

Impaired Driver Involved 2 28.6% 11 28.2%

Distracted Driver Involved 1 14.3% 9 23.1%

Speeding Involved 1 14.3% 9 23.1%

Intersection Related 1 14.3% 4 10.3%

Young Driver Involved 0 0.0% 9 23.1%

Priority Level Two

Unrestrained Vehicle Occupants 2 28.6% 8 20.5%

Motorcyclist 1 14.3% 4 10.3%

Unlicensed Driver Involved 1 14.3% 0 0.0%

Opposite Direction Multi‐vehicle 0 0.0% 5 12.8%

Pedestrian 0 0.0% 0 0.0%

Priority Level Three

Older Driver 75+ Involved 2 28.6% 4 10.3%

Heavy Truck Involved 1 14.3% 5 12.8%

Drowsy Driver Involved 0 0.0% 5 12.8%

Bicyclist 0 0.0% 1 2.6%

Wildlife 0 0.0% 1 2.6%

Vehicle‐Train 0 0.0% 0 0.0%

Work Zone 0 0.0% 0 0.0%

School Bus Involve 0 0.0% 0 0.0%

Total 16 58

WashingtonStateStrategicSafetyPlan,TargetZero,includesspecificobjectivesandstrategiestohelpreducetrafficfatalitiesandseriousinjuriesforeachoftheprimaryfactors. Within Klickitat County, the focus should be on implementing strategiesthataddressthehighestprioritizingfactors.

Washington State Department Unstable Slopes

WashingtonStateDepartmentofTransportation(WSDOT)begantheirUnstableSlopeManagementSystemin1993.Thismanagementsystemincorporatedanumericalslopehazardratingsystem.Theratingsystemutilizesamatrixevaluatingelevencategories.In2004anenvironmentalassessmentofSR‐14



unstableslopeswascompleted.Ofthesitesinvestigated,3priorityprojectswereidentifiedinKlickitatCounty.PriorityprojectshadanUnstableSlopeManagementSystemratinggreaterthan200.Thosewithratingsabove300totalpointsrepresentarelativelyhighhazardslope.ABenefittoCost(B/C)Ratioisthenusedtodetermineprojectpriority.Table3‐5liststhepriorityprojectsalongSR‐14inKlickitatCounty.

Table 3‐5: Priority Unstable Slope Project along SR 14

Road Mile Post Rating B/C Ratio Improvement

SR‐14 68.75‐69.10 429 Remove debris/Euromesh/Reslope

SR‐14 73.18‐73.87 303 3.61 Rockfall ditch

SR‐14 77.31‐77.67 525 2.03 Scaling/Fence/Euromesh

Tunnels

TherearetwotunnelsalongSR‐14inKlickitatCounty,nearLyle.Thesetunnelshavea24footpavementwidth,noshoulders,lighting,orbicyclewarningsystem.Thetunnelsarearchedwithacenterclearanceseveralfeethigherthanthe13.5footclearanceattheouteredgeofthepavement.Trucks,especiallythoseunfamiliarwiththetunnels,frequentlystraddlethecenterlinecreatingadangeroussituation.

Trucks

Interstate84(I‐84)andStateRoute14(SR‐14)areparalleleast/westhighwaystravelingthroughthesouthernportionoftheKlickitatregion.I‐84isa4‐laneInterstatefacilitylocatedinOregonandSR‐14isarural2‐laneStateHighwaylocatedinWashington.Bothroutesarepublicroutesthatareopentoalllegaltrucks.Asaruralhighway,SR‐14islessconducivetothroughtrucktrafficbecauseofsharpcurves,steepgrades,andheightrestrictions.ThroughtrucktrafficshouldbeencouragedtouseI‐84toincreasemobilityandsafety.

TheOregonDepartmentofTransportationestimatesa4‐5%avoidanceoftheOregonWeightMileTaxstate‐wide.However,a1997SR‐14TruckSurveyfoundthat8%to13%ofthetrucksonSR‐14maybeavoidingtheOregonWeightMiletax.AslongasWashingtonandOregonStateshavedifferenttrucktaxationmethods,sometruckerswillchoosetouseSR‐14tolowertheiroverallcosts.

Recreational Parking

Thegrowthinrecreationhascreatedaparkingcapacityissueatpopularrecreationalsites,whichoftenleadstoillegalparkingandsafetyissuesonthetransportationsystem.



Preservation and Maintenance Need Ofoverwhelmingimportanceintheplanningfortheregionaltransportationsystemistheneedtomaintainandpreservetheexistingsysteminordertoprotecttheheavyinvestmentsalreadymadeinthesystem.TheRTPsupportsprojectsprogrammedintheTransportationImprovementProgramtomaintainandpreservetheregionaltransportationsystem.

WashingtonStatehasdevelopedaBridgeManagementSystem,aproceduretovisuallysurveybridgeconditions.Thissystemisintendedtoassistwiththeprioritizationofbridgereplacementandmaintenance.ProjectswithimmediateneedsareprogrammedintotheStateorlocalSix‐YearTransportationImprovementProgram.Thereareseveralbridgesindeterioratingcondition,orofsubstandardwidththatneedtobereplacedwithinthenext20years.TheHoodRiverBridgeisregularlyinspectedbytheOregonDepartmentofTransportation.MaintenanceandrepairsaremadebythePortofHoodRiver,whoownsthebridge.

APavementManagementSystemhasbeendevelopedforpavementconditiononallstateroadfacilities.Thissystemisintendedtoassistwiththeprioritizationofpavementpreservationandtorespondtorecentlyobservedconditionsandpredictprobablefutureconditions.WSDOTandlocaljurisdictionsvisuallyinspectpavementconditionsoffacilitiestodetermineneededmaintenanceandpreservation.ProjectsthathavereachedaconditionthatwarrantsrehabilitationareprogrammedintotheStateandlocalTransportationImprovementPrograms.

BurlingtonNorthernSantaFeRailroadmaintainstheBNSFmainraillinethroughKlickitatCounty.ThePortofHoodRivermaintainstheHoodRiverBridge.TheGoldendaleandTheDallesmunicipalairportsareoperatedandmaintainedbytheCityofGoldendaleandKlickitatCounty/CityofTheDalles,respectively.UnderthedirectionoftheU.S.ArmyCorpsofEngineers,theColumbiaRiverismaintained.LocaljurisdictionsandWSDOTmaintainbicycleandpedestrianfacilities.

TheRegionalTransportationplansupportsadditionaltransportationdollarsforthepreservationandmaintenanceoftheregionaltransportationsystem.

Hood River Bridge Replacement

TheHoodRiverBridgewasoriginallybuiltin1924andisoneofthreebridgestraversingtheColumbiaRiverintheColumbiaRiverGorgeNationalScenicArea.ThebridgeconnectsthecommunitiesofWhiteSalmonandBingen,Washington,withHoodRiver,Oregon.

TransportationagenciesfromWashingtonandOregonhavebeenevaluatingtheneedtoreplacethebridgesince1998.In2004,afeasibilityanddraftenvironmentalimpactstatementwerecompleted.In2011aType,Size,andLocationStudywascompleted.



Thepreferredbridgealignmentislocateddirectlywestoftheexistingbridge.ThebridgewouldtieintotheexistingbridgeaccessroadontheOregonsideandwithanewintersectionatSR‐14.Thepreferredbridgealternativewouldbeatwolaneconcretesegmentalboxgirderbridge,withshouldersandamultiusepathway.Thenewbridgewouldnotneedaliftspan.

In2018,theregionalpartnerswillbegintheworktocompleteaFinalEnvironmentalImpactStatementforthereplacementoftheHoodRiverBridge.

SR‐14 Bingen/White Salmon Circulation Study In2017,SR14fromSR141AlttoalocationjusteastoftheeasternBingencitylimitswasstudiedtoidentifytransportationneedswithinthecorridor.TheStudyrecommendedpedestrian,intersection,andotherhighwayimprovementswhichcouldimprovetheoperationsandfunctionalityofSR‐14throughtheCitiesofBingenandWhiteSalmon.ThefinalStudyreportandrecommendationscanbefoundonRTC’swebsite.

Enhancement Need Thereisaneedtodevelopandimprovefacilitiesforbicycles,pedestrians,scenicvistas,restareas,thematicsignage,roadsidebeautification,recreationalparkingandotherenhancementswithinKlickitatCounty.TheRegionalTransportationPlansupportscosteffectiveenhancementstothetransportationsystem.

Economic Development Need Theprosperityofaregionisdependentontheprovisionoftransportationinfrastructuretosupporteconomicdevelopment.Themovementofgoodsbyhighway,rail,water,andairareessentialtotheeconomyofKlickitatCounty.

TheRTPsupportsthedevelopmentofanall‐weatherroadnetworkforthemovementofpeopleandgoodswithintheregion.Thisall‐weatherroadnetworkshouldincludeallfacilitiesfunctionallyclassifiedasmajorcollectorsandabove.Thisall‐weatherroadnetworkwillprovidethetransportationinfrastructurenecessaryforthemovementofgoodstomarket,andwillstrengthenthelocaleconomy.

TheRTPsupportsthereplacementoftheHoodRiverBridge.TheHoodRiverBridgeisamajortransportationcorridorprovidingaccessbetweensouthwestKlickitatCountyandHoodRiver,Oregon.TheHoodRiverBridgeprovidestheprincipleaccessforsouthwestKlickitatCountytoemployment,services,andgoods.Thisfacilityisimportantforthemovementoflocalgoods(fruitandtimber)tomarket.Thisfacilityisessentialtotheregionsdiversificationbyprovidingaccessand



employmentopportunitiesrelatedtothetourism/recreationalsector.Theexistingfacilityisnarrowandinadequatetohandlethedemandsoftheregion.Thefacilityisagingandwilllikelyneedtobereplacedwithinthenext15‐20years.ThelocaleconomydependsheavilyontheHoodRiverBridge,ensuringanadequatereplacementfacilityisahighpriorityfortheregion.

TheRTPsupportsimprovedaccesstoportfacilitiessuchasBingenPointandDallesportIndustrialPark.ThiswouldalsoincludethenewrailroadundercrossingthatWSDOTplanstoconstructin2020toimproveaccesstoBingenPoint.

TheRTPsupportsimprovementstothetransportationsystemthatwillgiveprimeconsiderationtoeconomicdevelopmentandthesafe,efficientmovementofpeopleandfreight.Specifically,freightproducedbyormaterialnecessaryfortheoperationofbusinessesandindustrieswithinKlickitatCounty.

Emerging Technology

Emergingtechnologyisageneraltermthatisusedtodescribedevelopmentsintransportationtechnology.Thiscouldincludeawiderangeoftechnologysuchasautomatedvehicles,connectedvehicles,carsharing,carhailing,travelerinformation,automatedtolls,andsmartcities.

Technologyisalreadybeginningtotransformthewaypeoplemove.Individualsareincreasinglyusingsmartphoneapplicationstohelpthemmaketraveldecisions.Ridesharingandhailingservicesarebecomingincreasinglypopularthroughouttheworld.Vehiclesafetytechnologyisbeingdevelopedtoensurethesafetyandsecurityofautomobiles.Thesetechnologychangesarelikelytohavesignificantimplicationsonhowpeopletravelinthefuture.

Chapter 4: Financial Plan 37


Chapter 4: Financial Plan

Overview PotentialtransportationimprovementprojectsproposedinthisPlanareintendedtomeettheRTPgoalsandpolicyobjectiveasoutlinedinChapterOne.Thesegoalsandpoliciesincludemakingthemostefficientuseofandenhancingtheexistingtransportationsystem.

Theavailabilityoffederal,state,andlocalmoneyswillhaveasignificantimpactontheabilitytofundproposedprojects.Thischapterdescribesrevenuesourcesanddiscusseschangestorevenuesourcesasaresultoffederalandstatelegislation.Theprojectionoffundingabilityisbasedonhistoricalfundinglevels.TheabilityoftheprojectedfundingtomeetRTPcostsisdetermined.

Transportationhastraditionallybeenfundedby“userfees”.Today,themajortaxsourcestofundtransportationarethegastax,vehiclelicenses,permits,andfees.Gastaxisimposedatthefederallevel($0.184pergallon)andattheStatelevel($0.494pergallon)andisdevotedtoroadwaypurposes.

Challenges and Accomplishments TheRTPfacesconsiderablechallengesforfundingthetransportationsystemintothefuture.Overthelastdecadefewerdollarshavebeenspentonthetransportationsystemastransportationrevenueshavedeclined.Asthetransportationsystemages,thecostofpreservingandmaintainingtheexistingtransportationsystemhasincreased.Thereisaneedtohaveapublicdiscussiononhowtransportationcostwillbepaidforinthefuture

TheRTPwaslastadoptedin2014;sincethattime,anumberofimprovementshavebeencompletedorwillsoonbecompletedalongtheregionalsystemwithinKlickitatCounty.Thecompletedimprovementsincludethereconstructionofseveralregionallysignificantcountyroads,safetyprojects,transportationenhancementsprojects,andthemaintenanceandpreservationprojects.

Inaddition,theBingenPointAccessprojectwasfundedthroughthe2015ConnectingWashingtonFundingPackage,andwillbeconstructedin2020.ThisprojectwillconstructaroundaboutonSR‐14atElmSt.whichwillprovideaccessundertheBNSFrailroadtrackstoaccessE.MarinaWaywithinthePort.



Plannedfuturetransportationimprovementswillcontinuetomaintainandenhancetheexistingtransportationsystem.WithoutadditionalrevenuetherewillbelimitedopportunitiestoimprovetheKlickitatCountyregionaltransportationsystem.

Revenue Sources

Federal Funding

Thefederalgastaxandothertransportationfeesandtaxesarethemajorfederalrevenuesourcesfortransportationfunding.OnDecember4,2015,PresidentObamasignedintolawtheFixingAmerica’sSurfaceTransportation(FAST)Act.TheFASTActisthefirstfederallawinoveradecadetoprovidelong‐termfundingcertaintyforsurfacetransportationinfrastructureplanningandinvestment.TheFASTActauthorizes$305billionoverfiscalyears2016through2020forhighway,highwayandmotorvehiclesafety,publictransportation,motorcarriersafety,hazardousmaterialssafety,rail,andresearch,technology,andstatisticsprograms.Inaddition,theFASTActincludesanumberofprovisionsdesignedtoimprovefreightmovementinsupportofnationalgoals.

TheFASTActauthorizesasingleamounteachyearforalltheapportionedhighwayprogramscombined.ThatamountisapportionedamongtheStates,andtheneachState’sapportionmentisdividedamongtheindividualapportionedprograms.PartofWashingtonState’sapportionmentisthenallocatedtoregionssuchasKlickitatCounty,whoselectslocaltransportationprojectsforfunding.ThefollowingisabriefdescriptionofmajorFASTActfundingprograms:

Infrastructure For Rebuilding America (INFRA)

TheFASTActestablishestheNationallySignificantFreightandHighwayProjectsprogramtoprovidenationallycompetitivegrantstonationallyandregionallysignificantfreightandhighwayprojects.TheActrequiresthataminimumof25%oftheINFRAgrantsgotoprojectsinruralareas.TheActalsostatesthatprojectsinanationalscenicareaareeligibleforINFRAgrant.TheUSDepartmentofTransportationselectsprojectsforfunding.

National Highway Performance Program (NHPP)

TheFASTActcontinuestheNationalHighwayPerformanceProgram,whichwasestablishedunderMAP‐21.TheNHPPprovidessupporttoensurethatinvestmentsoffederal‐aidfundsinhighwayconstructionaredirectedtosupportprogresstowardtheachievementofperformancetargetsestablishedwithinastate’sassetmanagementplans.WSDOTselectsprojectsforfunding.



Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP)

TheFASTActcontinuestheHighwaySafetyImprovementProgram(HSIP)toachieveasignificantreductionintrafficfatalitiesandseriousinjuriesonallpublicroads,includingnon‐State‐ownedpublicroadsandroadsontriballands.TheHSIPrequiresadata‐driven,strategicapproachtoimprovinghighwaysafetyonallpublicroadsthatfocusesonperformances.WSDOTselectsprojectsforfunding.

Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG)

TheFASTActconvertsthelong‐standingSurfaceTransportationProgram(STP)intotheSurfaceTransportationBlockGrant(STBG)ProgramacknowledgingthatthisprogramhasthemostflexibleeligibilitiesamongalltheFederal‐aidHighwayprogramsandaligningtheprogram’snamewithhowFHWAhashistoricallyadministeredit.TheSTBGpromotesflexibilityinStateandlocaltransportationdecisionsandprovidesflexiblefundingtobestaddressStateandlocaltransportationneeds.

STBG‐Rural (STP‐Rural):FormulaallocationforprojectsoutsidetheUrbanAreaboundary.TheCountyselectsprojects.

STBG‐State (STP‐State):FormulaallocationtotheWashingtonStateDepartmentofTransportation,foruseonStatehighwayprojects.TheStateselectsprojects.

Transportation Alternatives (TA):TheFASTActreplacedtheTransportationAlternativesProgram(TAP)ProgramwithasetasideoftheSurfaceTransportationBlockGrant(STBG)Program.Theseset‐asidefundsincludeallprojectsandactivitiesthatwerepreviouslyeligibleunderTAP.RTCselectsprojectsfortheRTPOregion.

Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)

CDBGfundsareadministeredbytheDepartmentofHousingandUrbanDevelopment(HUD).Fundscanbeusedforpublicfacilities,economicdevelopment,housing,andcomprehensiveprojectswhichbenefitlowandmoderateincomehouseholds.Projectsareselectedbythecounty.

Federal Lands Highways:

TheFederalLandsHighwaysProgramprovidesfundsforprojectsthatimproveaccesswithinfederallands.

State Funding

TheStateGasTaxistheprimaryStatesourceofhighwaymaintenanceandarterialconstructionfunds:



Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT)

TheWashingtonStateDepartmentofTransportationadministersstateandfederalfundedstatehighwayprojects.Statetransportationrevenuesaredividedintoseparateprograms.Thebudgetfortheseprogramsisdeterminedbythestatelegislature.WSDOTthenprioritizesprojectsanddetermineswhichprojectscanbeconstructedwithinthebudgetofeachprogram.

WSDOT Grant Programs

WSDOTadministersmanytransportationrelatedgrantsthatareavailabletolocalagencies.However,mostoftheseprogramsaredependentonthelegislatureallocatingfundingandcanvaryfromyeartoyear.

Transportation Improvement Board (TIB) Programs

TheWashingtonStateLegislaturecreatedtheTransportationImprovementBoard(TIB)tofosterstateinvestmentinqualitylocaltransportationprojects.TheTIBdistributesgrantfunding,whichcomesfromtherevenuegeneratedbythreecentsofthestatewidegastax,tocitiesandurbancountiesforfundingtransportationprojects.TheTIBidentifiesandfundsthehighestrankingtransportationprojectsbasedoncriteriaestablishedbytheBoardforeachprogram.

Small City Arterial Program (SCAP):Fundingprovidedtopreserveandimprovethearterialroadwaysystemforcitiesunder5,000population.Alocalmatchof5%orgreaterisrequired;ajurisdictionwithapopulationunder500needs0%localmatch.

Small City Pavement Preservation Program (SCPPP):Providesfundingforrehabilitationandmaintenanceofthesmallcityroadwaysystem.

Relight Washington:ProvidesfundingforcitiesconvertingtomoreenergyefficientLEDstreetlights.

Complete Streets:Thisprogramfundslocalgovernmentarterialretrofitstoimprovesafeaccessforallusers:pedestrians,bicyclists,motorists,publictransportationusers,andtruckdrivers.

Federal Match:Fundingprovidedtomeetthelocalmatchofsomefederallyfundedprojectsinsmallcities(populationunder5,000).TheTransportationImprovementBoardfundsaremadeavailablefollowingapprovaloffederalfunds.



County Road Administration Board (CRAB)

TheCountyRoadAdministrationBoard(CRAB)wascreatedbytheLegislaturein1965toprovidestatutoryoversightofWashington’sthirty‐ninecountyroaddepartments.CRABmanagestwograntprogramstoassistcountiesinmeetingtheirtransportationneeds.

Rural Arterial Program (RAP):Thisisastatefundforfinancingarterialroadimprovementsinruralareas.RAPfundscannotbeusedforright‐of‐way.Projectsareratedbyfivecriteria.ProjectsareselectedbytheCountyRoadAdministrationBoard.

County Arterial Preservation Program (CAPP):Fundingisprovidedforthepreservationofexistingpavedcountyarterials.FundingisprovidedtocountiesasdirectallocationbasedonpavedarteriallanemilesbytheCountyRoadAdministrationBoard.

Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO)

TheRCOmanagesninegrantprograms,includingthelargestparkgrantprograminthestateofWashington.RTOcreatesandmaintainsopportunitiesforrecreation,protectsthebestofthestate’swildlands,andcontributestothestate’sefforttorecoversalmonfromthebrinkofextinction.

Community Economic Revitalization Board (CERB):

CERBwasestablishedbythelegislaturetomakeloansand/orgrantsforpublicfacilities,includingroads,whichwillstimulateinvestmentandjobopportunities,reduceunemployment,andfostereconomicdevelopment.TheCommunityEconomicRevitalizationBoardselectsprojects.

Local Funding

Localrevenuecomesfromavarietyofsourcessuchasgastax,propertytax,salestax,permits,fees,andprivatedevelopment.

Local Gas Tax Revenue

Thisisthedistributionofthestategasolinetaxtothecitiesandcountiesbasedoneachjurisdiction’spopulation.

Road Improvement District (RID)

RID’scanbeformedandfundedbypropertiesbenefitingfromanimprovement.Theyareusuallyformedattherequestofpropertyowners.Localgovernmentwillbuildtheprojectusingrevenuebondsfromtheroadimprovementdistrict.



Frontage Improvement Agreements

Developmentsareoftenrequiredtoconstructfrontageimprovementsasaconditionoftheirdevelopment.Incaseswherethedevelopmentabutsaproposedroadimprovementproject,itmaybebeneficialforthedevelopertopaylocalgovernmentfortheirshareofthefrontageimprovementandforlocalgovernmenttoconstructtheimprovementaspartoftheoverallcapitalproject.

Transit Revenues

Revenuesourcesthathavebeendescribedpreviouslyaregenerallyintendedforroadwayimprovements.Thetransitsystemisgenerallyfundedbyfareboxproceeds,federalandstategrants,Medicaid,andotherlocalfunds.

Fare Box

PatronsoftheMountAdamsTransportationServicepayafaretousetheservice.Thefarerevenuespayforaportionoftheoperatingcost.

Consolidated State and Federal Grants

TheWashingtonStateDepartmentofTransportationisresponsiblefordistributingavarietyofstateandfederalgrantsforpublictransportationprograms.WSDOTcreatedaconsolidatedapplicationprocessthatisusedforbothstateandfederalpublictransportationgrants.Applicantsonlyneedtosubmittheirproposalsfortransitfundingeverytwoyears.

Medicaid

EligiblemedicaltripsarefundedbyMedicaid.

Local Funds

SeniorTransportationisfundedinpartbytheSouthwestAgencyonAgingandKlickitatCounty.Inaddition,UnitedWayprovidesadditionalpublictransitfunding.

Revenue Assumptions SHB1928requirestheRTPbe‘fiscallyconstrained’or“includeafinancialplandemonstratinghowtheregionaltransportationplancanbeimplemented,indicatingresourcesfrompublicandprivatesourcesthatarereasonablyexpectedtobemadeavailabletocarryouttheplan,andrecommendinganyinnovativefinancingtechniquestofinanceneededfacilities,services,andprograms.”Theremustbeabalancebetweenforecastrevenuesandcostsofidentifiedtransportationsystemimprovements.Withlimitedrevenuesavailableforfundingtransportationimprovements,themostcost‐effectivetransportationsolutionsmustbeidentified



andselected.ThefollowingoutlinestheassumptionsandmethodologyusedfortheRTPrevenueforecast.

WSDOTprovidedhistoricaldatafortransportationrevenuesforyears2003through2014(12‐yearperiod).

Totaltransportationrevenuewasestimatedfora22‐yearperiodthrough2040,usingthefollowingapproach:1)calculatedannualKlickitatCountytransportationrevenueforyears2003‐2014;2)increasedannualrevenueby10%toreflectagrowingeconomy;3)multipliedtransportationrevenueby85%toreflecttherevenueavailablefortheregionaltransportationsystem;4)multipliedaverageannualregionaltransportationrevenueby22years;5)Add$22millionfromtheConnectingWashingtonstatewidetransportationfundingpackage;6)Added$22millionfromafuturestatewidetransportationpackage.

TheregionalrevenueestimateaccountsforthetrendthatKlickitatCountyreceivesa$1.42returnforeverydollarcontributedbyKlickitatCountyresidents.

Included$22millionfromthe2015ConnectingWashingtonTransportationPackage.

Assumedtheequivalentofanewstatewidetransportationfundingpackageof10centspergallon.WithKlickitatCountyreceivingapproximately$25milliondollarsoverthe22‐yearperiod.

TheRTPassumesrevenuesandcostsin2015dollars.

Table4‐1containsprojectedtransportationrevenuesfortheregionaltransportationsystem.Basedonthisestimate,theKlickitatCountyregionwouldhaveapproximately$238.9millionintransportationrevenueavailableoverthenext22years.

Table 4‐1: Projected Revenue

Revenues Annual Average 22 Year Forecast

Transportation Revenue $9,312,000 $204,854,000

2015 Connecting Washington $1,000,000 $22,000,000

New State Revenue Package $1,136,000 $25,000,000

TOTAL $11,448,000 $249,854,000

Cost Assumptions Thefollowingoutlinestheassumptionsandmethodologyusedtoestimatecosts:

WSDOTprovidedhistoricaldatafortransportationexpendituresforyears2005through2014(10‐yearperiod).



Futuremaintenanceandpreservationcostswerebasedontrendsfromyears2005‐2014.Thefullmaintenanceandpreservationneedissignificantlyhigherthantheavailablecost.

Costfortransportationimprovementsarebasedonplanninglevelcostestimates.

Costforothermodessuchasrail,air,andriverareassumedtobemetoutsideoftheRTP.

Table4‐2containsprojectedtransportationcostfortheregionaltransportationsystem.Basedonthisestimate,theKlickitatCountyregionwouldhave$183.8millioninmaintenanceandpreservationcost,$66.1millioninimprovementcost,and$242.7millioninillustrativeneedscostoverthenext22years.

Table 4‐2: Projected Cost

Cost Type 22‐Year Forecast

Maintenance & Preservation $183,800,000

Improvement Projects $66,100,000

Illustrative Needs $245,700,000

Balancing Revenue and Cost The“fiscallyconstrained”testfocusesonassuringthatthereisareasonableexpectationthatrevenueswillbeavailabletoprovideforthetransportationimprovementsidentifiedintheRTP.Basedontherevenueassumptionsdescribedinthischapter,thereareinsufficientresourceswithintheregiontomeetthemaintenance,preservation,andimprovementneedsoftheregionaltransportationsystem.Ifadditionalresourcesarenotobtained,therewillbeinadequatefundsforallofthetransportationimprovementneeds.ThefundingandcostdifferenceisillustratedinFigure5‐1.TomeetthefinancialconstraintsoftheRTP,someimprovementneedshavebeenmovedtoanillustrativelist.



Figure 4‐1: Transportation Revenue and Cost

$183.8 $66.1 $245.7

$249.9

0 100 200 300 400 500

Costs

Revenues

Millions of Dollars

Maintenance and Preservation

Improvement Projects

Illustrative Needs

Transportation Revenue

Chapter 5: System Improvement and Strategy Plan 47


Chapter 5: System Improvement and Strategy Plan

Overview Thischaptersummarizesthesolutionsandstrategiesneededtoprovideanadequatelevelofregionalmobilityoverthenext20years.Awiderangeofsolutionsandstrategiesareneededtomeettheregionaltraveldemand.Therearestrategiestoaddressthetraveldemandsideaswellastransportationsystemsupplysideandstrategiestoincreasetheefficiencyoftheexistingregionaltransportationsystemaswellasstrategiestoprovideforasafertransportationsystem.ThesolutionsandstrategiesoutlinedinthischapterwillprovideKlickitatCountyresidentswithawell‐maintained,structurallysound,saferegionaltransportationsystem.Indevelopingabalancedregionaltransportationsystem,itisnotonlycapacityandsafetydeficienciesthatmustbeaddressedbutalsopreservationandmaintenanceoftheexistingregionaltransportationsystem.Thischapterconcludeswithaprioritizedlistoftransportationsystemimprovements.

ThesolutionsandstrategiesfortheKlickitatCountyregionaltransportationsystemhavebeendividedintosubheadings.Maintenanceisthedailyoperationsthatkeepthetransportationsystemsafe,clean,andefficient.Preservationisaninvestmentthatprolongsthelifeofthetransportationsystem.Improvementsaremodificationsthatincreasethesafety,mobility,andeffectivenessofthetransportationsystem.Miscellaneousincludesspecificimprovementswhichmaybeincludedunderoneoftheothersubheadingsoristiedtoaspecificfundingsource,thusnocostestimateisprovidedforthesestrategies.Illustrativeincludesadditionaltransportationprojectsthathavebeenidentifiedandcurrentlylacksourcesoffunding.

Maintenance and Preservation Ofprimeimportanceintheplanningfortheregionaltransportationsystemistheneedtomaintainandpreservetheexistingtransportationsystem.

Maintenancewilladdresstheday‐to‐dayactivitiesneededtokeepthetransportationsystemingoodworkingorder;dailyoperationsthatkeepthesystemsafe,clean,reliableandefficient.Suchactivitiesincludefillingpotholes,repairing



bridges,repairingdrainageditches,repairingguardrails,replacingdamagedsigns,plowingsnow,removingrocks,andefficientlyoperatingtrafficsignals.Preservationcanprolongthelifeoftheexistingtransportationsystemthroughsuchprojectsasrepavingroads,rehabilitatingbridges,androckfallprotection.

TheWashingtonStateDepartmentofTransportation(WSDOT)andlocaljurisdictionsmonitortheconditionandoperationoftheexistingsystemandprogramprojectstomaintainandpreservethesystem.TheRTPsupportstheroutine,regularly‐scheduled,andnecessarymaintenanceandpreservationworkidentifiedbylocalandstateagencies.TheRTPsupportsmaintenanceandpreservationbeinggivenhighpriorityintheprogrammingoftransportationfunds.Theestimated22yearpublicmaintenanceandpreservationexpenditurefortheregionaltransportationsystemis$183.8million.Thisdoesnotreflectthefullmaintenanceandpreservationneed.

Improvements Inaddition,theRegionalTransportationPlanrecommendstransportationimprovementsneededtoprovideanadequatelevelofsafetyandregional.Improvementsshouldberelatedtoanidentifieddeficiency,asidentifiedinChapter3(safety,capacity,economicdevelopment,non‐motorizedmode,andbridge).Improvementswouldincludeaddinglanes,removingadangerouscurves,intersectionimprovements,gradeseparation,addingtransportationenhancements,improvingsightdistance,addingaclimbinglane,realignmentofaroadway,andaddingalternativemodesoftransportation.Theestimated22yearimprovementcostis$66.1million.

Illustrative Projectsthataddressanidentifieddeficiency,butdonothaveidentifiedrevenue,arecontainedintheIllustrativeProjectslist.Theseprojectsareconsidered“financiallyunconstrained,”becauseestimatedresourceswouldnotcoverprojectcosts.

TheIllustrativeProjectshave“conceptualimprovements”indicatedandestimatedcostsidentified.Theseconceptualimprovementswillnotbecomecommittedprojectsuntilfurtherstudyiscompleted;includingmovingthroughtheregionaltransportationplanningprocessandpotentialrevenuehasbeenidentified.Inmanycases,theIllustrativeprojectswillrequirefurtherstudyoffeasiblealternatives.Theestimated22yearimprovementcostis$245.7million.



Miscellaneous Strategies and Solutions TheRTPsupportsstrategiesforbridges,safety,economicdevelopment,non‐motorizedmodes,andtransitthatwillsupportthemobilityofpeopleandgoodswithinKlickitatCounty.

Bridge Deficiencies

Maintenance,preservation,andreplacementprojectsrequiredonbridgesareidentifiedthroughtheBridgeManagementSystem(BMS)administeredbyWSDOT.

Theregionhasidentifiedthelong‐termneedtoreplacethefunctionallyobsoleteHoodRiverBridge.Theregionmustcontinuetoworkcollaborativelyonthislong‐termneed.

Safety Deficiencies

Accidentsandtheirnumber,location,andtypearemonitoredbyWSDOTandlocaljurisdictions.Ifthereisdeemedtobeasafetydeficiency,thencountermeasuresareconsideredandcorrectiveactiontaken.

Economic Development and Freight Transportation Deficiencies

Theprosperityofaregionisdependentontheprovisionoftransportationinfrastructuretosupporteconomicdevelopment.EconomicdevelopmentemergedasaprimeevaluationcriterionforprioritizingprojectsfortheRegionalTransportationPlan.

WSDOThasadoptedaStatewideFreightandGoodsTransportationSystem,whichcategorizeshighwaysandlocalroadsaccordingtothetonnageoffreighttheycarry.WashingtonStatealsocreatedtheFreightMobilityStrategicInvestmentBoard(FMSIB)withamissiontocreateacomprehensiveandcoordinatedstateprogramtofacilitatefreightmovementbetweenandamonglocal,national,andinternationalmarketsthatenhancestradeopportunities.

TheWashingtonStateLegislaturehasdefinedthepurposeofthestate’sfreightrailprogramandplanningactivitiesandestablishedacomprehensivefreightrailpolicy.ThispolicydirectsWSDOTtomaintainandimprovethestatefreightrailsystemthroughbetterfreightrailplanning,bettercooperationtopreserveraillines,andincreasedfinancialassistancefromthestate.

WashingtonandOregonhaveidentifiedthedeepeningofthelowerColumbiaRiverchannelto43feetasessentialforthemovementoffreight.Thisimprovementwillhelpkeeptheregioneconomicallycompetitiveinthefuture.



Non‐Motorized Transportation Deficiencies

Thedevelopmentofnon‐motorizedtransportationmodesisastrategythatwillmaximizethecapacityoftheexistingtransportationsysteminurbanareas.Reducedrelianceonautomobilesislargelydependentonthedevelopmentofadequatesidewalksandbikeways.Pedestrianandbicycleneedsaremostappropriatelyidentifiedatthelocallevel.

Transportationdemandmanagement(TDM)strategiestoreducevehicletripsontheregionaltransportationsystemcanincludeuseoftransit,carpooling,vanpooling,workingofflex‐hoursand/orcompressedworkweek,andworkingfromhomewithuseofcommunicationstechnology.

Transportationsystemmanagement(TSM)isalsoastrategytomaximizetheefficiencyoftheexistingtransportationsystem.TSMmeasuresincludeawiderangeofstrategies,mostofwhicharerelatedtotheuseofintelligenttransportationsystems.Theseincludeincidentresponseprograms,programstomonitortravelconditions(weather/congestion),variablemessagesignagetoalertmotoristoftravelconditions,andIntelligentVehicle/HighwaySystems.OtherTSMelementsincludeminorcapitalupgradessuchaschannelizationatintersections.

Transit Deficiencies

Transitisimportantinmeetingthemobilityneedsofthetransitdependent;thoseunabletodriveautomobilesbecauseofage,infirmity,disability,orlowincome.Transitcanalsomeetthemobilityneedsforcommutetripstoandfromemploymentcenters.

Conclusion TheRTPprovidesforstrategiesandsolutionstomeetregionaltraveldemandandtodevelopabalancedregionaltransportationsystemoverthe22‐yearplanningperiod.ProjectsareidentifiedintheRTPandthenprogrammedinthelocalTransportationImprovementProgram.Table5‐1providesalistingofneededimprovementsfortheregionaltransportationsystem.Thistableincludesalistofprojectsforwhichregionalneedhasbeenidentifiedandforwhichthereisstrongregionalcommitment.Thelistfocusesonsafetyimprovementssincethesearetheprojectsthataremostreadilyneeded.Thelistalsoidentifiesawiderangeoftransportationsystemimprovementsthatwillcontributetothedevelopmentofabalancedregionaltransportationsystem.

Aprioritizationprocesshelpstheregiontomakemosteffectiveuseoflimitedtransportationfundingtomeettransportationsystemimprovementneeds.TheprojectslistedinTable5‐1wereprioritizedbasedontheregionalprioritizationprocess.Thefollowingkeyissueswereconsideredintheprioritizationprocess:1)Safety,2)EconomicDevelopment,3)Congestion,4)Connectivity,5)Support,and6)Cost/Funding.



Table 5‐1: Klickitat County Transportation Improvement Projects

Rank Facility Mile Post Location Existing Condition Improvement Cost*

(millions)

Unranked All N/A Klickitat County Existing transportation system

Preservation and Maintenance Ongoing


Safety Improvements Ongoing


Transportation Enhancements Ongoing

Unranked All N/A Klickitat County Existing transit system Maintain and improve public transit

Ongoing

Fully Funded

SR‐14 66‐67 Port of Klickitat: Bingen Point

At‐grade crossing at Maple St.

Grade‐separated RR crossing $22.0

1 SR‐35 N/A White Salmon to Hood River

Hood River Bridge Bridge replacement: design and right‐of‐way

$10.0

2 N/A N/A Klickitat County Existing rural arterials Reconstruct to all‐weather roads $20.0

3 SR‐14 66.41 Oak (SR‐141) to Maple Intersections Roundabouts or Signalized $0.5

4 SR‐14 65.5‐66.4 Downtown Bingen One lane each direction Radar Speed sign, pedestrian crossings, sidewalk

0.4

5 SR‐97/ SR‐14

2.3‐2.8 Maryhill Spur SR‐97/SR‐14 Offset intersections Study: Intersection improvement

$1.0

6 SR‐97 25.4‐27.2 Brooks Park to Ski‐Lodge Rd

One lane each direction Study Passing lane $0.8

7 SR‐14 63.5‐77.7 SR‐14 within Klickitat Co. Existing rockfall locations Rockfall protection $5.0

8 SR‐14 63.5‐64.8 SR‐141 Alt. to Dock Grade Narrow two‐lane road Study: Improve width and grade $1.0

9 SR‐14 75.8‐76.3 Lyle Uncontrolled access Design sidewalk and curbs $0.3

10 SR‐97 14.5‐21.3 Little Klickitat Rv ‐ Allen Cr One lane each direction Study: Passing lanes $1.8

11 SR‐141 2.0‐6.9 White Salmon to Northwestern Lake Rd. Vic.

Sharp curves Study: Realignment of curves $2.0

12 SR‐197 0.8‐1.2 Dallesport Rd. to Dock Rd. Intersections Add left turn pocket, acceleration and deceleration lane

$1.0

13 SR‐141 0.8‐1.2 Ash St. to SE 10th St. Uncontrolled access Design Sidewalk and curbs $0.2

14 SR‐142 12.3‐13.6 Klickitat Av. to Durkee Rd. Uncontrolled Access Design Sidewalk and curbs $0.1

Total $66.1

*Theseareplanninglevelestimatesandadditionalworkwillbeneededtodetermineactualcost.

Table5‐2providesalistingofneededimprovementsalongtheregionaltransportationsystemthatdonothaveanidentifiedrevenuesource.Theseprojectswillbeaddedtothecommittedlistwhenadequatefinancialresourcesareidentified.

Table 5‐2: Illustrative Needs

Rank Facility Mile Post Location Existing Condition Improvement Cost*

(millions)

1 SR‐35 N/A White Salmon to Hood River Hood River Bridge Bridge replacement (WA Share) $105.0

2 SR‐97 2.3‐2.8 Maryhill Spur SR‐97/SR‐14 Offset intersections Intersection improvement $68.0

3 SR‐97 25.4‐27.2 Brooks Park to Ski‐Lodge Rd One lane each direction Passing lane $8.0

4 SR‐14 63.5‐64.8 SR‐141 Alt. to Dock Grade Narrow two‐lane road Improve width and grade $12.0

5 SR‐14 75.8‐76.3 Lyle Uncontrolled access Add sidewalk and curbs $2.7

6 SR‐97 14.5‐21.3 Little Klickitat Rv ‐ Allen Cr One lane each direction Passing lanes $18.0

7 SR‐141 2.0‐6.9 White Salmon to Northwestern Lake Rd. Vic.

Sharp curves Realignment of curves $26.0

8 SR‐14 0.8‐1.2 Ash St. to SE 10thSt. Uncontrolled access Sidewalk and curbs $3.0

9 SR‐142 12.3‐13.6 Klickitat Av. to Durkee Rd. Uncontrolled Access Design Sidewalk and curbs $3.0

Total $245.7

*Theseareplanninglevelestimatesandadditionalworkwillbeneededtodetermineactualcost.

Chapter 6: Performance Monitoring 53


Chapter 6: Performance Monitoring

Overview Thetransportationplanningprocessrequiresthatmonitoringofsystemperformancetakesplace.Monitoringoftheregionaltransportationsystem’sperformanceisanongoingactivity,whichataminimum,willoccuraspartofthereviewoftheRegionalTransportationPlan(RTP).TheRTPmustbereviewedatleasteverytwoyears.Severalelementsofsystemmonitoringactivitiesaredescribedbelow.

Safety Monitoringofcollisiondataandrockfallisanongoingactivityoftheregionaltransportationsystem.CollisiondatawillbecollectedandstudiedbasedonathreeyearcollisionrateaspartofeachRTPupdate.Thecollisionrateswillbeusedtoidentifytheperformanceofthetransportationsystembyidentifyingdeficientroadsegments.Highcollisionlocationswillbeusedasatoolforidentifyingimprovementstrategiestoalleviateasafetyproblem.

Inaddition,WSDOTwillmonitorrockfall.FutureupdatesoftheRTPwillcontainthemostrecentrockfallinformation.Rockfalllocationswillbeusedasatoolforprioritizingrockfallimprovements.

Capacity Analysis Trafficvolumeswillbeusedasatoolformonitoringtrafficcongestionandforidentifyingimprovementstrategiestoalleviatethecongestion.TheHighwayCapacitySoftwarewillbeusedtoanalyzethelevelofservicealongtheregionaltransportationnetwork.Deficientsegmentswillbeanalyzedtoidentifyimprovementstrategiestoalleviatecongestion.

Preservation and Maintenance Local,regional,andstatetoolsarebeingusedtomonitorpreservationandmaintenanceneeds.WashingtonStatehasdevelopedaBridgeManagementSystem

Chapter 6: Performance Monitoring 54


andPavementManagementSystemtoidentifydeficientconditionsalongroadwaysandbridges.Thesetoolsalongwithothertoolsareongoingactivitieswhichmonitorpreservationandmaintenanceneedsoftheregionaltransportationsystem.

Special Studies Localandstatestudiesandplansareoccasionallyundertakenwhichmonitortheperformanceofthetransportationsystem.Asthesespecialstudiesorplansarecompleted,theassociatedinformationwillbeincludedinthenextupdateoftheRegionalTransportationPlan.

Chapter 7: Plan Development and Implementation 55


Chapter 7: Plan Development and Implementation

Public Involvement in Regional Transportation Planning Process SouthwestWashingtonRegionalTransportationCouncil(RTC)hasanadoptedPublicParticipationPlanoutliningthepublicinvolvementeffortsinthedevelopmentofregionaltransportationplansandprograms.CopiesofthePublicParticipationPlanareavailablefromRTC’sWebsiteoroffice.AllRTCBoardmeetingsandtheKlickitatCountyTransportationPolicyCommitteemeetingsareopentothepublic.Publicinvolvementeffortsbuildfromthosecarriedoutatthelocallevelindevelopmentoflocalplansandprogrammingoftransportationprojects.

ApublicmeetingisheldtoadopttheKlickitatCountyRegionalTransportationPlan.AmendmentstotheRTParepresentedtoboththeKlickitatCountyTransportationPolicyCommitteeandtheRTCBoardofDirectorsfortheirconsiderationandadoption.Transportationissues,studies,plans,andprogramsareoutlinedandreportedonRTC’swebsiteathttp://www.rtc.wa.gov.

RTP Implementation Implementationofregionaltransportationgoals,policies,andactionsestablishedbytheKlickitatCountyRegionalTransportationPlan(RTP)arecarriedforwardthroughalocalandregionaldecision‐makingprocess.ThroughthelocaldevelopmentofaTransportationImprovementProgram(TIP),transportationneedsidentifiedintheRTPareprogrammedforreceiptoffunds.

RTP Update Process TheRTPistobereviewedatleasteverytwoyearsandhasbeenupdatedoramendedmanytimesovertheyears.Shouldchangingpolicies,financialconditions,orgrowthpatternswarrant,anRTPupdateoramendmentwilloccur.

Chapter 7: Plan Development and Implementation 56


ResultsandrecommendationsfromtransportationstudiesandimprovementswillbeincorporatedintofutureRTPupdates.ThenextreviewtotheRTPisanticipatedin2020,withthenextupdateby2022.

Glossary 57


Glossary

Abbreviation Description

B/C Benefit Cost Ratio

BEA U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis

BNSF Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad

BMS Bridge Management System

CAPP County Arterial Preservation Program (CRAB Grant Program)

CDBG Community Development Block Grant (HUD Grant Program)

CERB Community Economic Revitalization Board

CRAB County Road Administration Board

FAST 2015 Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act

FMSIB Freight Mobility Strategic Investment Board

GMA Growth Management Act

HSP State Highway System Plan

HSIP Highway Safety Improvement Program (Federal Funding Program)

HSS Highways of State‐wide Significance

HUD Department of Housing and Urban Development

INFRA Infrastructure For Rebuilding America

LOS Level of Service

MCEDD Mid‐Columbia Economic Development District

MPO Metropolitan Planning Organization

NHS National Highway System (Federal Funding Program)

NHPP National Highway Performance Program (Federal Funding Program)

OFM Washington State’s Office of Financial Management

Scenic Area Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area

NHPP National Highway Performance Program (Federal Funding Program)

NHS National Highway System

PTBA Public Transportation Benefit Area

RAP Rural Arterial Program (CRAB Funding Program)

RID Road Improvement District

RTC Southwest Washington Regional Transportation Council

RTP Regional Transportation Plan

RCO Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office

RTPO Regional Transportation Planning Organization

SCAP Small City Arterial Program (TIB Grant Program)

SCPPP Small City Pavement Preservation Program (TIB Grant Program)

SHB Senate House Bill

SR‐ State Route

STBG Surface Transportation Block Grant (Federal Funding Program)

STP Surface Transportation Program

TA Transportation Alternatives Program

TDM Transportation Demand Management

Glossary 58


Abbreviation Description

TIB Transportation Improvement Board

TIP Transportation Improvement Program

TSM Transportation System Management

WSDOT Washington State Department of Transportation

WTP Washington Transportation Plan

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