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| NE 179th Street looking toward I-5 |
Project number: 390222
- Project limits: NE 179th Street between NE Delfel Road and NE 15th Avenue - Map (PDF)
- Project type: Improving 179th Street to a four-lane principal arterial with intersection improvements, new drainage system, utilities, and bicycle and pedestrian access.
- October 2010 newsletter (PDF)
Project update - Sept. 15, 2011
With the continuing economic downturn, Clark County is delaying design and subsequent construction on the NE 179th Street project until further notice.
The Board of County Commissioners recently decided to postpone further work on the project because of budgetary issues.
The county has not set a date for when the project could resume, but it remains committed to improving NE 179th Street as a way to decrease congestion, improve safety and support economic development.
Project alternatives
Three alternatives for reducing congestion, improving safety and supporting economic development on NE 179th Street are available for public review.
The following is a brief description of the three alternatives and their traffic benefits, along with a conceptual illustration of each alternative.
Realigned intersections: This option would shift northbound Interstate 5 on- and off-ramps farther east and southbound on- and off-ramps farther west. Spacing between signalized intersections would be increased, which would allow longer left-turn lanes and reduce the potential for traffic backups to spill onto through lanes.
Jug handle turn loop: This option would build a “jug handle” on-ramp to I-5 south for vehicles traveling west on NE 179th Street. A jug handle loop would provide more “stacking room” than a left-turn pocket and eliminate the need for a left-turn signal.
Roundabouts: This option would build two-lane unsignalized roundabouts at the on- and off-ramps on both sides of I-5. Roundabouts would eliminate all left-hand turns, thereby easing congestion and delay, and reduce the number and severity of accidents.
Each alternative also would realign NE Delfel Road, west of I-5, with the signalized intersection at NE 10th Avenue and tie into another lane on I-5 southbound that will be built as part of the Salmon Creek Interchange Project.
In addition, each alternative calls for NE 15th Avenue to be constructed north of NE 179th Street and connected with Northeast 10th Avenue east of the freeway.
Following additional study, a project decision team will select a preferred alternative, which will be presented during a second open house tentatively scheduled for March 2011.
Background
Clark County is working with the Washington State Department of Transportation to ease congestion and improve safety on Northeast 179th Street near Interstate 5. A project has been discussed for some time, but no specific design has been selected.
The project is listed as a top priority on Clark County’s 2010-15 Transportation Improvement Program because of traffic congestion, accident history and the current road’s inability to support development envisioned in the Clark County Comprehensive Growth Management Plan.
Project description
Clark County Public Works is studying different alternatives for improving this half-mile stretch of NE 179th Street, including realigning NE Delfel Road to the west to connect with the existing traffic signal and improving intersections for the freeway’s on- and off-ramps.
Under federal law, any changes to the freeway system, including access points, requires preparation and approval of a detailed Interchange Justification Report.
In addition to roadway upgrades, this project will include sidewalk, drainage and utility improvements. Construction is planned for 2014.
Why is the county doing this project?
Mobility and safety. Anyone who has been to the Clark County Fair or a concert at the Sleep Country Amphitheater knows how congested this area can get. The state doesn’t have the funding to do a complete rebuild of the NE 179th Street interchange.
The NE 179th Street project will realign the intersections to improve mobility and eliminate conflict points that contribute to accident rates. Up to eight alternatives will be identified and analyzed to determine which improvements increase capacity of the local road system without having impacts to the I-5 mainline.
Jobs. Clark County had a 13.1 percent unemployment rate in April 2010, the second highest among Washington’s 39 counties. Estimates indicate the NE 179th Street project would serve 755 acres, where more than 4,000 jobs could be created.
Providing good-paying jobs means county residents would have more money to spend at local stores and businesses, which boosts the overall economy. This creates what economists call a multiplier effect as money repeatedly changes hands and circulates through the community.
Local revenues. Killian Pacific, a Vancouver developer, has submitted a letter of intent to build a 600,000 square-foot shopping center on the southeast corner of the NE 179th Street interchange.
Killian Pacific estimates its project has the potential to capture more than $100 million a year in retail spending that now flows to Oregon. That could mean more than $1 million in additional sales tax revenue to county government to help pay for this public improvement.
That is just one company committed to developing one project in one quadrant of the interchange. The NE 179th Street project has the potential to support much more development across hundreds of acres that could generate millions in additional local tax revenues.
For more information, please contact:
Scott Fakler, Project Manager
(360) 397-6118 ext. 4394
Scott.Fakler@clark.wa.gov
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