Commerce leaders seek new capacity
transportation to link county communities
The question is not whether to build roads, the question is when and where, according to city of Vancouver Manager of Business Development Gerald Baugh. New capacity transportation not only helps business, but attracts it as well, and the question of timing and location hinges upon expected growth.
"It’s kind of a ‘chicken and egg’ question," said Baugh. "If you can build the roads ahead of development and lay things out with some timing and planning in mind, the cost of the road, while large at the time, is less expensive in the long run."
Road construction is a key concern in Clark County and also in Olympia. Gov. Christine Gregoire poured $21 million into the 501 Interchange – a roundabout to be built at 45th Avenue in Ridgefield. This, and other construction projects, like the Interstate 205/Mill Plain interchange to 28th Street likely will spur commerce and job growth; giants such as McDonalds religiously monitor new road and highway projects with designs to open doors near or on new roadways. This is a driver in transportation planning, making well-planned roads somewhat of a fishing lure for business growth. Baugh said that while major industries will set up along new roads, other business sectors will lobby for road construction for their benefit once an area is developed. He pointed to completion of the 192nd Avenue corridor as an example of the high-tech sector getting its wish.
"The high-tech people really wanted (the 192nd Avenue corridor)," he said. "So, you have some businesses calling for roads, while other industries will follow the roads."
The Battle Ground beltway
Enter Battle Ground Mayor John Idsinga. He envisions a beltway ringing the county and major arterials running through the center.
"Transportation is the key to economic development," Idsinga said. "What I would like to see is something that actually extends from Ridgefield through Battle Ground and then continues a little east and south, probably in to 192nd. If we don’t start now preserving and planning corridors for the future, I think we’re shooting ourselves in the foot."
Idsinga teamed up last month with the Regional Transportation Council to form the Transportation Visioning Committee. Comprised of representatives from the city of Vancouver, Clark County, Washington Department of Transportation and the RTC, the committee met for the first time Oct. 6 to begin discussion on the proposed project.
"The bottom line is, we’ve got to prepare for the future," Idsinga said.
Providing Idsinga’s vision is embraced by others, raising funds will be the committee’s prime directive. The 501 and I-205 interchange projects are funded through state and federal money, and Vancouver wants to fund road construction through the proposed and controversial Business and Occupation tax. But Idsinga’s beltway likely would be county-funded, and that money is not only limited, but in high demand.
Steve Shulte is the county’s transportation director. His department operates on a little more than $30 million annually, which is generated through property tax, the state gas tax and traffic impact fees paid by developers. This money is generally spent on improvements or to align roads with new development, leaving little room to entertain ideas such as the beltway.
"As a general position we’re more reactive than proactive," Shulte said. "But that isn’t to say we couldn’t be proactive if we had a solid proposal. If there was a good proposal for a project that was going to happen, the county could get behind it. But what everyone needs to understand is that the $30 million doesn’t begin to cover our projects as it is."
Others, like Columbia River Economic Development Council President Bart Phillips, back Idsinga’s plan as a necessary component of economic leadership.
"It’s my job to dream about the future and make it happen," Phillips said. "That type of long-term thinking is what we have to do."
Phillips cited the Padden Parkway as an example of a major road project that had been in the proposal stage for years before becoming a reality.
"I think with the growth we’re seeing here, that sort of road project is not far out," he said.
Teaming up for transportation
Shulte allowed that the county can augment road construction funding by teaming up with the state, as it did with the $120 million interchange project underway at Salmon Creek and I-205. A government partnership could bolster Idsinga’s beltway, and the state Department of Transportation is receptive to his plan, but must take a "first things first" approach. DOT Region Engineer Bart Gernhart said funding for a project of this scope would come only after an official vision is presented.
"It’s really nice to see (Idsinga) spearhead the effort to move forward with this plan," Gernhart said. "But the next round of funding needs to go toward immediate projects like the Camas-Washougal Highway to relieve congestion there."
Gernhart said the state is exploring new methods of funding major projects such as the beltway. One idea is to take sales tax revenue to put up a bond toward road construction. Another is the introduction of toll roads, but he allowed the latter is more of a brainstormed notion than a solid plan. Further, the state is about a decade out on presenting a new plan for road funding. Gernhart feels the beltway project, if embraced, would take longer than that to happen.
"I don’t think this would take ten or eleven years," he said, "it would probably take twenty to thirty."
Road work round up
The Washington State Department of Transportation reopened Interstate 5 to traffic Oct. 2 after completing more than three years of work to widen a stretch of the highway between Salmon Creek and Interstate 205. A ribbon cutting ceremony was to be held Oct. 10 on the 192nd St. overpass to mark the occasion.
The 2003 Legislative Funding Package paid for the project, and the highway now supports three lanes of traffic as well as an auxiliary lane. Along with the widening, this project also replaced the Northeast 192nd Street overpass and the Salmon Creek and Northeast 117th Street bridges, bringing them up to date with current design, safety and seismic standards. The project was the final of four stages of interstate improvement. Earlier stages included the 99th Street interchange, and the widening from Burnt Bridge Creek to 78th Street, which consisted of two stages fused into one project. The I-5 widening project is considered functionally complete; WSDOT reports landscaping and permanent road striping will be completed in the spring as weather permits.
The I-5 project was one of seven major road projects in Clark County.
Around the county
The state and county are repairing concrete panels on I-5 between the North Fork Lewis River Bridge and I-205. Work there is scheduled to wrap up this fall. Crews are also repairing the East Fork Lewis River Bridge along I-5, replacing worn expansion joints and repairing concrete.
Grading work has begun on the SR 501 Interchange in Ridgefield, and crews are performing maintenance on I-5 north of Ridgefield into Cowlitz County.
In the city
Preliminary geotechnical work has begun in preparation of a planned Mill Plain interchange to Northeast 28th Street on I-205, and a pedestrian land bridge is under construction along SR 14, which will connect pedestrians and bicyclists from the Fort Vancouver Historic Reserve to the Waterfront. This project is expected to be complete in the fall of next year.
