Key Findings

1. After a lapse of sixteen years WSDOT has prepared a draft State Highway System Plan. In the past this document has provided the basis for development of the legislature’s transportation budget and helped inform local and regional transportation plans.
2. Unlike prior editions of the plan, the new draft does not include a list of state highway projects, cost estimates, or a timeline for implementation. As a result, the plan is not compliant with the requirements set forth in RCW 47.06.050. 
3. The draft plan does not appear to effectively advance state transportation policy goals that call for relieving congestion and supporting economic vitality. The sparse information the plan provides indicates that congestion would become significantly worse, causing adverse economic impacts.  
4. The draft plan does not address important policy questions WSDOT now faces, especially HOV operating policy (occupancy requirements, hours of operation, etc) and tolling policy (when and where state highways should be tolled and what toll rates should be charged).     
5. Rather than describing the highway improvements needed to address performance deficiencies, the draft plan proposes to abandon the traditional Level of Service performance measure and allow increased traffic congestion. 

Introduction

For several decades the State Highway System Plan was the most important planning document WSDOT produced. That plan consisted of a list of all the highway improvements WSDOT intended to implement over the succeeding twenty years along with cost estimates for each project, a phasing plan for construction, and identification of the performance objectives that would be addressed.  

The plan was usually updated every three or four years to reflect new travel demand forecasts, projects that had been completed, and changes in funding such as increases in the state fuel tax, discontinuation of the motor vehicle excise tax, or new Federal transportation funding. The plan served as the starting point for development of the legislature’s transportation budget as well as providing essential input to regional and local plans.

For reasons that have not been explained, following the 2007 edition of the plan no update was prepared until late in 2023. As a result, the 2007 plan had become far out of date and no longer useful for policy makers or legislative budget discussions.

READ THE POLICY NOTE HERE