Northeast Washington
Regional
Transportation Plan
Ferry, Pend Oreille and Stevens Counties
2015-2019
Update * Final Draft *
To be submitted for possible adoption by TEDD Board at their 9/17/2014 meeting
Previous Draft Reviewed by RTPO TAC on 8/8/2014
Public Comment Period: August 11, 2014 – September 9, 2014
Revised 9/9/14 ml
Notes regarding draft review:
The information in BLACK was carried over from the last approved version
of this document, which was for the 2010 – 2011 Update.
All information shown in RED was added or otherwise reworded during the
public comment period of August 11 – September 9, 2014.
All information that has been struck was removed during this comment
period based on public input and other needed formatting changes.
Some tables or figures were removed if they were outdated. New data was
used to replace or complement existing data, as appropriate.
Some of the information was moved around within the document to provide
clarity and consistency in how it is presented. In some cases, entire
sections were relocated and/or broken up to place the information into a
more relevant location with the new text/reference data provided. If large
sections of information appear to be missing or removed, it is because it
was incorporated elsewhere in the document or it was outdated.
Any of this information can be reinserted as desired.
Prepared for:
Northeast Washington
Regional Transportation Planning Organization
Ferry, Pend Oreille, and Stevens Counties
Washington
Prepared by:
Northeast Washington
Tri-County Economic Development District (TEDD)
Lead Agency for NEW RTPO
With the assistance of Eastern Washington University
Alicia Bemiss-Powell, Undergraduate Student, Urban & Regional Planning
Gregg Dohrn, Professor, Urban & Regional Planning
Members
Counties: Ferry, Pend Oreille, Stevens
Cities: Chewelah, Colville, Kettle Falls, Newport, Republic
Towns: Marcus, Springdale, Northport, Metaline, Metaline Falls, Cusick, Ione
Tribes: Colville, Kalispel, Spokane
Ports: Pend Oreille
Public Utility Districts: Ferry, Pend Oreille, Stevens
State Agency: Washington State Department of Transportation
Others: Rural Resources, NE Washington Tri-County Health District
Adopted by TEDD/NEW RTPO Policy Board
(date pending)
Resolution No. 2014-xx
Table of Contents
Preface .............................................................................. 1
Description of a Regional Transportation Planning Organization (RTPO) ..................... 1
Introduction ........................................................................ 2
History of NEW Regional Transportation Planning Organization ............................... 2
Mission Statement ....................................................................................... 2
Organization.............................................................................................. 2
Intergovernmental Coordination ..................................................................... 3
Regional Goals and Objectives ................................................ 5
Maintenance Service Objectives ..................................................................... 5
Preservation Service Objectives ..................................................................... 5
Profile of Northeast Washington ............................................... 6
Topography & Physical Features ..................................................................... 6
Columbia River & Lake Roosevelt .................................................................... 6
Water Resources ...................................................................................... 6
Drainage Basin ......................................................................................... 7
Columbia River System Uses ........................................................................ 7
Lake Roosevelt ........................................................................................ 8
Recreation................................................................................................. 8
Scenic Byways & Recreational Highways ............................................................ 8
National, Conservation, and Recreation Lands..................................................... 9
Colville National Forest .............................................................................. 9
Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area ........................................................ 9
Little Pend Oreille National Wildlife Refuge .................................................... 10
49 Degrees North Mountain Resort ............................................................... 11
Land Use & Ownership ................................................................................. 11
Land Use Interaction ................................................................................. 12
Ownership Distribution .............................................................................. 12
Population Trends ...................................................................................... 15
Economic Activity & Employment ...................................................................17
Regional Transportation System .............................................. 20
Transportation Network Components .............................................................. 20
Roadways ..............................................................................................20
Highways of Statewide and Regional Significance ............................................... 22
US Highway 395 ...................................................................................... 22
Other Regional Highways ...........................................................................23
Indian Reservation Roads (IRR) Tribal Transportation Program (TTP) ..................... 24
Forest Highways ...................................................................................... 24
What are Forest Highways? ...................................................................... 26
Why are Forest Highways Important?.......................................................... 27
What is the Washington Forest Highway Program? ......................................... 27
Why do we need Coordinated Transportation Planning? .................................. 28
Scenic Byways .........................................................................................29
The Sherman Pass Byway ......................................................................... 29
The North Pend Oreille Scenic Byway .......................................................... 29
Pend Oreille Valley Scenic Byway ............................................................... 29
The International Selkirk Loop Scenic Byway................................................. 30
Alternate Transportation Modes.................................................................... 30
Railroads .............................................................................................. 30
Air Service ............................................................................................ 31
River Transportation ............................................................................... 34
Non-Motorized Transportation (Bicycle/Pedestrian) ......................................... 34
Public Transportation ............................................................................. 36
Freight & Goods System ........................................................ 39
Truck Route Classifications .......................................................................... 40
County Data Collection and Analysis ............................................................... 42
Roads ................................................................................................... 42
Bridges ................................................................................................. 43
Structurally Deficient ............................................................................ 44
Functionally Obsolete ............................................................................ 44
Maintenance Needs Evaluation .................................................................... 45
Rail Road Crossings ..................................................................................... 45
Strategic Freight Corridors ........................................................................... 45
Issues of Regional Significance ............................................... 46
All Weather Surfaces for State Roads .............................................................. 46
Local Projects ........................................................................................... 46
Relationship to other Planning Efforts ....................................... 48
Environmental Assessments for Development .................................................... 48
Industrial .............................................................................................. 48
Commercial ........................................................................................... 48
Recreational .......................................................................................... 48
Housing & General Land Use ....................................................................... 49
Cultural Resources and Historic Sites ............................................................ 49
Food Hub .............................................................................................. 49
Relationship to Existing Comprehensive Plans ............................. 50
Established Goals & Objectives ...................................................................... 50
Cities, Towns and Counties ........................................................................ 50
State of Washington................................................................................. 50
WSDOT Policy Goals ............................................................................... 50
Department of Natural Resources Guiding Principles ...................................... 51
Indian Tribes.......................................................................................... 51
Kalispel Tribe ...................................................................................... 51
Spokane Tribe ..................................................................................... 51
Colville Tribe ....................................................................................... 52
Federal Agencies .................................................................................. 52
Growth Management ..................................................................................... 52
Concurrency Requirement ......................................................................... 52
Critical Areas and Resource Lands ............................................................... 54
Countywide Planning Policies ..................................................................... 54
Comprehensive Plans ............................................................................... 54
Water Quality......................................................................................... 54
Air Quality ............................................................................................ 55
Noise Abatement .................................................................................... 55
Economic Development Plans and Strategies .................................................. 55
Level of Service Standards ......................................................................... 56
Performance Monitoring (Graphs, Data & Statistics) ...................... 58
Overview of Ownership, Surface Type, and Traffic Volume ................................... 58
Ferry County ......................................................................................... 58
Pend Oreille County ................................................................................. 59
Stevens County....................................................................................... 59
Preservation and Safety by County ................................................................ 60
Ferry County (Ratings using Graphs) ............................................................. 60
Pend Oreille County (Ratings using Graphs) .................................................... 61
Stevens County (Ratings using Graphs) .......................................................... 62
Stewardship: Funding & Administration by County.............................................. 63
Ferry County (Graphs: Revenue & Expenditures for 2012) ................................. 63
Pend Oreille County Improvements (Graphs: Revenue & Expenditures for 2012) ...... 64
Stevens County Improvements (Graphs: Revenue & Expenditures for 2012) ............ 65
Financial Plan ..................................................................... 66
Analysis of Funding Capability ....................................................................... 66
Application of Future Funding .................................................................... 66
Rural Arterial Program (RAP) .................................................................... 66
County Arterial Preservation Program (CAPP) ............................................... 66
Regional Transportation System Improvement Strategy ........................................ 67
Identification of Future Projects ................................................................. 67
Identification of Alternative Solutions ........................................................... 67
Regional Transportation Plan Implementation ................................................. 67
Appendices ........................................................................ 69
Appendix
Appendix
Appendix
Appendix
Appendix
A:
B:
C:
D:
E:
Transportation & Warehousing Industries (Logistics) ............................ 70
Abbreviations and Acronyms......................................................... 72
Glossary of Terms ....................................................................... 74
Recently Completed Projects ........................................................ 80
NEW RTPO Project List for 2015-2019 RTP ........................................81
List of Figures
Figure
Figure
Figure
Figure
Figure
Figure
Figure
Figure
Figure
Figure
Figure
Figure
Figure
Figure
1: Northeast Washington (NEW) Region Study Area ..................................... 4
2: Columbia River Drainage Basin .......................................................... 7
3: Scenic Byways & Recreational Highways in NEW (updated) ........................ 8
4: Transportation-Land Use Interactions ................................................ 12
5: Land Ownership in NE Washington .................................................... 13
6: Land Distribution by County ........................................................... 14
7: Population Projections for Tri-County Region 2013 – 2030 ........................ 17
8: June 2014 Unemployment Rates for WA ............................................. 18
9: Highways of Statewide Significance for WA ........................................ 23
10: WA Forest Highways by Jurisdiction ................................................ 26
11: National Forests in Northeast Washington ......................................... 28
12: Regional Railroad Facilities .......................................................... 30
13: State Recognized Airports in NEW (new map) .................................... 33
14: Freight & Goods System Roadway Network in NEW (new map) ................. 41
The following graphs and data were moved to “Performance Monitoring”
Figure : Ferry County Owned Roads & ADTs .................................................... 55
Figure : Pend Oreille County Owned Roads & ADTs ............................................ 56
Figure : Stevens County Owned Roads & ADTs ................................................. 56
Figure : Ferry County Graph Series for Preservation & Safety Ratings ..................... 57
Figure : Pend Oreille County Graph Series for Preservation & Safety Ratings ............. 58
Figure 18: Stevens County Graph Series for Preservation & Safety Ratings ................ 59
Figure 19: Ferry County Allocation of Revenue & Expenditures for 2012 .................. 60
Figure 20: Pend Oreille County Allocation of Revenue & Expenditures for 2012 .......... 61
Figure 21: Stevens County Allocation of Revenue & Expenditures for 2012................ 62
List of Tables
Table
Table
Table
Table
Table
Table
Table
Table
1: Land Distribution in NE Washington ................................................... 14
2: Population Trends 1990 – 2014 for Tri-County Region .............................. 16
3: Roadways – Functionally Classified – Mileage by County (updated) .............. 20
4: Roadway Surface Type & Total Mileage of County Roads (updated) ............. 21
5: Airport Details Summary ................................................................ 32
6: Airport Operations Activity 2012....................................................... 32
7: Freight & Goods System of NEW Roads ............................................... 40
8: County-Owned Bridge Data by Year ................................................... 44