4336 SW Condor Ave • Portland, OR 97239 • 503/228-5565 • NWOregon.org/NWACT

MEETING AGENDA

Date: Thursday, September 12, 2019 Time: 1:00 pm—3:30 pm Location: Banks Fire Station

13430 NW Main St Banks, OR 503.970.3336

Directions: BanksFire.org

Contacts: Henry Heimuller, Chair: 503.397.4322 or henry.heimuller@co.columbia.or.us Mary McArthur, Staff: 503.970.3336 or mbmcarthur@nworegon.org

NWACT meetings are open to the public and accommodations will be provided to persons with disabilities. If a sign language interpreter is needed, please call Mary McArthur at 503.228.5565 at least 48 hours prior to the meeting.

Item 1 1:00 p

Welcome and Introductions

Henry Heimuller

Item 2 1:05 p

NWACT Minutes/Updates Approval of July 11, 2019 Meeting Minutes (attached) Public Comment (Limited to 5 minutes per person) ODOT Region 2 Updates Oregon Transportation Commission Update Washington County Transportation Updates

Action Item

Henry Heimuller

Item 3 1:30 p

Wilson River Highway—OR 6 Report (attached) Presentation and discussion

Ken Shonkwiler

Item 4 2:15 p

NW Oregon Transportation Needs Step Two: Looking at County/City TSP projects

Ken Shonkwiler All (bring project lists to meeting)

Item 4 3:00 p

NWACT 2020 Officer Nominating Committee Funding Opportunities

Henry Heimuller

Item 6 3:05 pm

Member Updates

All

Attachments: Note: A complete meeting packet is available on the NWACT website at NWOregon.org/NWACT July 11, 2019 Meeting Minutes

Wilson River Highway—OR 6 Report

Col-Pac/NWACT July 11, 2019 Combined Board Meeting Minutes 1 | P a g e

Col-Pac EDD/NWACT Combined Meeting July 11, 2019

Scappoose Fire Station Scappoose, OR

The following members attended the meeting: Mary Faith Bell—Col-Pac/NOEA/NWACT/

Tillamook County Mike Borreson—NWACT/Washington Co Private

Sector Michele Bradley—Col-Pac/NWACT Port of

Tillamook Bay Bob Brajcich—Col-Pac/NWACT/City of

Clatskanie Chris Breitmeyer—Col-Pac/Clatsop Cmty College Stevie Burden—Col-Pac/NWACT City of

Wheeler Bill Carpenter—NWACT/Clatsop Co Private

Sector Ayreanne Columbo—Economist Terre Cooper—EDC—Tillamook County Dan Dennis—Col-Pac/Oregon Employment Dept Rob Drake—Col-Pac/City of Cornelius Kathy Engel—Col-Pac/Columbia County Private

Sector Fritz Graham—Senator Wyden’s Office Henry Heimuller—Col-Pac/NOEA/Columbia Co Doug Hayes—Col-Pac/NWACT Rick Hobart—City of Vernonia Josette Hugo—Representative Witt’s Office Juliet Hyams—Col-Pac/NWACT/City of Wheeler Tony Hyde—Col-Pac/Columbia Co Private Sector Bruce Jones—Col-Pac/NOEA/NWACT City of

Astoria Senator Johnson—Oregon State Legislature Karen Kent—Col-Pac EDD Marsha Kirk—Col-Pac/NWACT/City of Banks Kathy Kleczek—NWACT/Sunset Empire

Transportation District Chris Laity—NWACT/Tillamook County

Kevin Leahy—Col-Pac/Clatsop SBDC/CEDR Brian Little—Columbia County private sector Margaret Magruder—Columbia County Patrick McIntyre—NWACT/Tillamook Co

Private Sector Patrick McHugh—NWACT/Tillamook Creamery Tom Messenger—Pacific City Debbie Newton—Col-Pac/Oregon Employment Melanie Olson—NW Reg Solutions/Business OR James Penley—Worksource Oregon Jae Pudewell—NW Regional Solutions/ODOT Jennifer Purcell—NW Regional Solutions/

Governor’s Office Peter Roscoe—Col-Pac/Clatsop Co Private

Sector Mike Russell—NWACT/Columbia County Dave Sakau—NWACT/City of Scappoose John Serra—Congressman Schrader’s Office Rick Scholl—Col-Pac/NWACT/City of St Helens Ken Shonkwiler—NWACT/ODOT Frank Spence—Col-Pac/NOEA/NWACT Port of

Astoria Tony Snyder—NWACT/ODOT Shawna Sykes—Oregon Employment Lianne Thompson—Col-Pac/NWACT/Clatsop

County Dave True—NWACT/City of Clatskanie Suzanne Weber—Col-Pac/NWACT/City of

Tillamook Lonny Welter—NWACT/Columbia County Karen Williams—NW Regional Solutions/DEQ Steve Wright—Col-Pac/NWACT City of Seaside Joe Younkins—NWACT/Washington County

Excused: Val Folkema, Steve Heinrich, Van Moe, Ross Tomlin, John Walsh, Jerry Willey AGENDA ITEM-1 Welcome and Introductions Henry Heimuller opened the two meetings.

AGENDA ITEM-2 Col-Pac Business May 9, 2019 Board Meeting minutes. Approved unanimously.

June 2019 Financials and Consolidated Statement. Approved unanimously.

BUILD Application Support Letters—Col-Pac has been asked to endorse two US Department of Transportation BUILD applications, both of which were supported last year: Port of Garibaldi for seawall improvements and the City of St Helens for their downtown waterfront enhancements. The Board unanimously approved sending it letters of support this year.

Col-Pac/NWACT July 11, 2019 Combined Board Meeting Minutes 2 | P a g e

AGENDA ITEM-3 NWACT Business

May 9, 2019 Board Meeting minutes. Approved unanimously.

AGENDA ITEM-4 Legislative Report

Senator Johnson provided the update:

An unusual session this year.

Much drama—Senate walkout, pay equity of legislative staff, sexual harassment within capitol, criticism over President Courtney’s leadership

More extensive split between urban and rural than in the past.

Mandatory vaccinations—Much opposition, due to parents not wanting to be told what how to manage the health of their children. Religious objection. Ultimately, that and the gun bill were taken off the table to get the first walkout to end.

Timber interests had a profound effect on the Legislature, resulting in HB 2020 not passing.

Passed close to 200 bills at the end of session, very fast.

When Republican senators came back, it was a mixed response.

Looking at having a contentious February session.

HB 2020 involved 9 agencies, and approximately $20 million, which will require legislative action. The bill had over 100 amendments, with over $1 billion of impacts. Prefer incentives rather than demonizing. The increase in gas tax unfairly affects rural and natural resource-based communities.

Unclear whether there will be a different outcome if it is part of a February session as there will be the same legislators, same 3 Democrats likely to oppose.

HB 2051—Allows immigrants to get drivers licenses. Had an emergency clause, which means can’t be referred to voters. Lack of clarity on the effect of “motor voter” registration.

Bill passed that prohibited downloading of voter petitions, limiting circulation.

2007 Diesel engines (old). Didn’t take into account retrofitted trucks. For example, Bergerson may have difficulty operating marine cranes in Portland because of their older diesel engines. Legislation could get expanded beyond the current Portland metropolitan 3 counties.

Extra money for fire. More firefighting happening in the shoulder seasons

Agriculture—More “critter management”.

$15 million for levees in the Business Oregon budget. Melanie Olson will be the resource person.

$6 million for culverts and tide gates. For example, in Rainier, for the Fox Creek repair to be successful, the adjoining ODOT culverts need to be fixed as well.

Decisions became highly transactional, quid pro quo.

Johnson was replaced one day because her vote would have killed 2020 from leaving committee.

Will take some time to recover relationships.

Changes to Regional Solutions Team, getting more involvement with community colleges, connecting with K-12 and higher ed. (Community colleges got some more support)

Tremendous capacity within NW Oregon to get things done.

Johnson was appointed to the E Board again.

Oregon is losing a fine administrator, Matt Garrett from ODOT.

Municipal buildings being removed from tsunami zones. Debating whether can be sited within tsunami zone. Need a balance between common sense and safety. If ban a municipal building, should any building be permitted? Hospitality and visitors drive the coastal economy. Need a balance. Not a clear answer.

DOGAMI got a 1 year budget because overspent their budget two years in a row. Have some management issues.

PERS—Extremely complicated. Any time legislature tries to make an adjustment, it gets a court challenge. Tier 1 legacy is what has held it back. Still have a $26 billion deficiency. Affects every small community in the State.

Col-Pac/NWACT July 11, 2019 Combined Board Meeting Minutes 3 | P a g e

An unintended consequence is that the unions are coming back to the municipalities to make their employees whole, eg, replacing the mandatory pension contribution with a corresponding wage increase.

Over 40% of public employees are eligible for retirement.

Question: Is there any way to get Legislative leadership out to listen to (non-urban) community comment on HB-2020? Response: At this time, leadership has indicated that they feel they have made concessions and did listen.

Question: How bring legislators back together? Johnson has flown urban legislators out to eastern Oregon, which seemed to help. Will require a collective agreement to stop the polarization.

Concern among Col-Pac/NWACT members that more outreach isn’t being done, more informal bringing of people together. Why regional organizations such as Col-Pac and NWACT are so effective: Local leadership is adept at bringing folks together, because they need to stay connected within the local communities. Local communities tend to be bi-partisan because they must work together, build cooperative cultures.

Potentially—Members may want to invite urban legislators out to their communities.

AGENDA ITEM-5 NW Oregon Regional Transportation Discussion

Members highlighted their key transportation needs/issues:

• Neskowin Secondary Access: $1 million of $1.8 million has been raised

• Westport: Add freight, neighborhood traffic, safety and dust concerns, Interstate connections to explanation

• Miles Crossing/Hwy 108: Intersection safety is a barrier to (needed) housing development

• Stavebolt

• Ridge Rd: Problem waiting to happen

• Clatsop Alternate Route Feasibility: Incorporate work that was done in Seaside

• Seaside Ave U Bridge

• Tillamook County bridges

• NW Connector Transit/Pedestrian Stops

• Wilson River Loop Interchange Improvements

• Manzanita/Nehalem/Wheeler TSP

• Banks TSP

• Vernonia—Banks Hwy 47 safety

• Hwy 6 Improvements (September NWACT meeting)

• New highway connection between Hwys 26 and 30

• Salmonberry Trail

• Oregon Coast Trail

• Oregon Coast Bike Route

• Rail to Tongue Point

• Hwy 53 safety: Increased traffic on route due to GPS routing

• Hwys 26/47 Interchange: Staley’s Junction

• Projects from local TSPs. Bring to NWACT

• Hwy 30/Tide Creek Rd

• Fox Creek Improvements/Hwy 30 culvert

• Scappoose/Clatskanie Traffic Planning (including rail)

• Tongue Point/Hwy 30 Access Rd: Planning plus improvements. Impacts: Boat building activity, Bergerson Construction, housing development, Coast Guard

• Development around Millard and traffic impacts on Hwy 30 in St Helens

_____________________________ ______________________________ Henry Heimuller, Col-Pac President/NWACT Chair _________________________________ Recorded: Mary McArthur, Executive Director

1

WILSON RIVER HIGHWAY – OR 6

CONDITIONS REPORT

OREGON DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Updated August, 2019

2

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Roadway Description

a. Lane Miles, Jurisdictions, Functional Classification, Major Intersections

b. Land Use Adjacent to Roadway

c. Scenic Byway Status - Trees to Seas Scenic Byway

d. Travel Lanes Geometry and Existing Passing Lane locations

e. Vehicular Speed Limits

f. Pavement Conditions

g. Average Daily Traffic

h. Freight Movement

2. Congestion

a. Existing Level of Service

b. Comparison to US 26 and US 30 in Area 1

3. Safety

a. Crashes

b. SPIS Sites

c. Comparison to US 26 and US 30

4. Communications

a. Cell Coverage

b. Traffic Cam Locations

c. ITS

5. ODOT Program Overview: This section will provide an overview of ODOT programs and

short discussions on whether they would be available to Highway 6. It will also identify

programmed projects for the roadway.

6. Recommendations by the Report.

3

Lane Miles, Local Jurisdictions, Functional Classification, and Major Intersections.

Hwy 6 is listed as the Wilson River Highway. From the City of Tillamook to US 26, Hwy 6

is 51.2 miles long. The first 33 miles are in Tillamook County and the remaining 18.2 are in

Washington County. Hwy 6 passes through the City of Tillamook and the City of Banks. It

connects US 101 to US 26.

4

Hwy 6 is classified as a Rural Minor Arterial. Minor Arterials provide service for trips of

moderate length, serve geographic areas that are smaller than their Higher Arterial

counterparts, and offer a balance between mobility and connectivity. Their purpose is to

provide regional connectivity between cities and towns to roadways facilities that are

higher on the functional classification list (principal arterials, freeways, and interstates).

This classification is appropriate because Hwy 6 connects US 101 (principal arterial) to US

26 (principal arterial).

5

Most roads that intersect Hwy 6 are local roads or forest roads. Intersections along Hwy 6

that are defined as Collectors or Arterials in the functional classification system are listed

below:

• Wilson River Loop Intersection - MP 2.08 – Rural Major Collector

• Timber road – MP 38.95 – Rural Major Collector

• Gales Creek Road – MP 42.2 – Rural Minor Arterial

• Hwy 47 – MP 49.1 – Principal Arterial

6

Additional Planning Classification

Fix-It Priority Corridor: Hwy is not listed as an official fix it priority corridor due to low traffic

volumes and because it lacks statewide direct connectivity.

Freight: Routes are designated under the Oregon freight Plan if annual truck tonnages are

moderate to high and if they provide connectivity to significant freight generating areas of

Oregon. Hwy 6 is listed as an official State Freight Route in the Oregon Highway Plan, but is not a

federal freight route. See Freight Section for additional information

National Highway System: Roads on the NHS are nationally significant to the nation’s

economy, defense, and mobility. These roadways are principal arterials and interstates. Hwy 6 is

not part of the National Highway system and does not adhere to design standards of the NHS. US

101, Us 26, and US 30 within Area 1 are all a part of the NHS.

ODOT Safety Corridor: Safety Corridors are stretches of state highways where fatal and serious

injury traffic crashes are higher than the statewide average. Hwy 6 does not have a crash rate

higher than the statewide average and is not an ODOT Safety Corridor. See Safety Section for

additional information.

C. Land Use Adjacent to Roadway

The majority of the land use surrounding Hwy 6 is zoned EFU, Exclusive Forest/Farm Use or PF,

Prime Forest. With the exception of commercially zoned and residentially zoned locations in the

City of Tillamook and the City of Banks, there are only a few parcels that are zoned either Rural

Residential or access residential properties; the rest is within Tillamook State Forest. This

zoning permits few housing/commercial developments to occur and further limits the type of

uses that can exist along the corridor. Additionally, the topography along Hwy 6 within the coast

range is rugged, steep, and has prevalent environmental features ranging from wetlands to rivers

on each side of the highway. It is also important to note that large portions are access controlled

along Hwy 6, further limiting development. In sum, the land use around Hwy 6 is generally rural

and not prone to future development or land use change.

7

Major points of interest:

Tillamook state forest begins at Milepoint 25 and continues for roughly 20 miles. It is operated by

the Oregon Department of Forestry and, in some places, the Bureau of Land Management. Due

to this, limited developed can occur through this section. The size of Tillamook State Forest is

360,000 Acres and accompanies both sides of Hwy 6. Tillamook State Forest offers a multitude of

recreational and educational opportunities that occur seasonally. Land on both sides of Tillamook

State Forest is also primarily for timber harvest and outdoor recreation.

Killin Wetlands is a publicly owned 590 acre green space managed by the Metro Regional

Government and is accessible at Mile point 46. This environmental area is protected,

undevelopable, and largely consists of wetland and brush landscapes.

Highway 6 has an abundance of agriculture lands, ranging from dairy farm uses to the West (near

Tillamook) to vineyards and larger agricultural areas to the East (Closer to Banks). Of particular

importance is the Tillamook Cheese Factory; Over 1 million guests visit Tillamook Cheese Factory

every year, garnering it as the most significant traffic generator along Hwy

J. Scenic Byway Status

Highway 6 is part of the newly designated Trees to Sea Scenic Byway. The Scenic Byways Program

is managed by ODOT and this particular project was developed by the Oregon Department of

8

Forestry. The goal of program is to preserve and enhance outstanding scenic transportation

corridors across the state through tourism and recreation.

Facility Improvements

The Scenic Byways designation does not offer a funding mechanism for improvements; grant

opportunities for the program were eliminated in 2013.

As a result of the designation, a scenic byway has a completed Corridor Management Plan. This

document outlines strategies for improving a scenic byway that align with the program’s goals.

Of particular interest to ODOT and this document is the Roadway Strategy, which is “to promote

safe travel by each of the road authorities involved in the Scenic Byway (ODOT and Tillamook

County).” It should be noted that the document has no planned roadway facility improvements

for Highway 6 with regards to capital improvements. The only roadway project in this document

is a Future Sign Strategy:

• Both East and West portals of the Trees to Sea Scenic Byway will have distinct sign

identification markers to let travelers know they are entering the scenic byways road

system. This will be by the Banks Vernonia Trailhead in Washington County and on the

west entrance on a Tillamook County Road by Cape Mears Lighthouse.

• A link to the Corridor Management Plan can be found here:

https://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/Programs/TDD%20Documents/Trees-to-Sea-

Management-Plan.pdf

9

K. Freight Movement

The State of Oregon has several freight route designations within the Oregon Freight Plan (2011)

that characterize freight movement and expectations of facility design to accommodate freight.

Below are short discussions for each of these routes as they pertain to OR 6.

• National Freight Routes: National freight routes connect major regional destinations, both

within states and across state boundaries. Oregon 6 is not a national freight route; US 30

is a national freight route.

• Oregon Freight Routes: Oregon freight routes connect destinations to areas of industry to

promote safe, reliable freight movement within the State of Oregon. Oregon 6 is a state

freight route, along with US 26 and US 30 within Area 1

10

• Oregon Freight Bottleneck Report: Bottleneck identification is of national concern and

was required of states from the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act.

Bottleneck indicators were based on the following item: Delay, unreliability, geometric

issues, volume, incident related, and cost (to freight). This list was created by stakeholder

outreach, freight travel analysis, and input from the Oregon Freight Advisory Committee

and ODOT. Additionally, these metrics were evaluated separated for rural and urban

roadways. Oregon 6 is not on the bottleneck report because it does not qualify for having

freight delay within the metrics listed above. No freight routes in Area 1 are on the

bottleneck list. A link to the report can be found here.

https://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/Planning/Documents/FHBL_Final-Report.pdf

• Oregon High Vertical Clearance route: High vertical clearance routes adhere to design

highway Design Manual standards so that vertical clearances can be maintained for freight

mobility. Highway 6 is a High Vertical Clearance route, along with US 30 and parts of US

101.

11

G. Speed Limits

The speed limit is consistently 55 MPH throughout the study area. Curve warning advisory

speeds exist throughout the study area as well. Speed limit change occurs as OR 6 enters the City

of Tillamook and the City of Banks.

e. Lane Configuration.

Hwy 6 is mostly a rural 2 lane facility that has 12 foot lanes and varying shoulder width

throughout. Seven locations have passing lanes between Tillamook and Banks. Turn lanes exist

on the facility as well, but they are few in numbers due to the low frequency and functional

classification of roadways that intersect with Hwy 6. The bullet points below show the location

where passing lanes do exist and references the map on the following page.

1. MP 15.9 to 16.3 – Westbound

2. MP 25.8 to 26.7 – Eastbound

3. MP 30.9 to MP 31.8 – Eastbound

4. MP 33.5 to MP 33.7 – Eastbound

5. MP 34.4 to 34.6 – Westbound

6. MP 35.4 to 35.7 – Westbound

7. MP 43.2 to 43.9 - Eastbound

8. MP 44.3 to 45.3 – Westbound

12

H. Pavement Conditions

Hwy 6 has various pavement conditions throughout the corridor. Below is a list of where the

pavement condition changes by highway mile point.

• MP 0 to 4.4 – Very Good condition

• MP 4.4 to 11.8 – Poor Condition

• MP 11.8 to 20.7 – Good Condition

• MP 20.7 to 27.8 – Very Good Condition

• MP 27.8 to 33 – Fair Condition

• MP 33 to 35.2 – Poor Condition

• MP 35.2 to 38.8 – Fair Condition

• MP 38.8 to US 26 – Good Condition

13

Traffic Data:

Automatic traffic recorders (ATRS) record traffic hourly for each calendar day. The following

ATRS data shows the maximum day, maximum hour, monthly ADT average, and annual average

daily traffic for a ten year span. There is one automatic traffic recorder on Hwy 6 at Milepost 38.5

near the intersection with Timber Road (Gales Creek). Since OR 6 is largely absent of major

intersections between the Wilson River Loop and Hwy 8, this ATR provides the most accurate

traffic recording for the rural facility.

• 2017 Traffic Data by Month: This graph shows the average daily and average weekday

traffic for Hwy 6 in 2017.

• Historical Annual Average Daily Traffic by Year: As the data shows below, annual average

daily traffic has increased 5.9% by since 2008. Data shows that traffic increase has

occurred seasonally rather than over the course of the entire year.

14

15

• Freight traffic:

Data to describe freight movement on Highway 6 is derived from ODOT Automatic Traffic

Recorders. Ranges rather than exact numbers are providers to account for fluctuation. The

spreadsheet below describes freight movement between Tillamook and Banks at the ATR located

on Gales Creek.

Highway Number

Highway Name

ATR Recorder Location

Nearby AADT Range

Truck Count Range

Truck AADT Percentage

OR 6 Wilson River Highway

38.55 Gales Creek 2,500 - 5,000

500-999 10.9

Traffic Data Comparison

The following sections provide information on traffic counts and a short discussion on how

counts, count ranges, and annual average daily traffic compare on the Wilson River Highway (OR

6) to Sunset Highway (US 26) and Lower Columbia River Highway (US 30). I chose to compare

these facilities because of their proximity, regional connectivity (valley to coast), and functional

classifications. Count data is derived from Automatic Traffic Recorders from 2017.

Traffic Counts

Highway Number

Highway Name

ATR Recorder Location

Nearby AADT Peak Month ADT

Off-Peak Month ADT

OR 6 Wilson River Highway

MP 38.55 Gales Creek

5492 July – 8,194

January - 2,810

US 26 Sunset Highway

MP 37.6 Timber Junction

8134 August - 12,478

January - 3,853

US 30 Lower Columbia River Highway

MP 53.3 Clatskanie and Rainier

11326 August - 14,368

January - 8,359

16

Truck Counts

The following data provides ranges and averages regarding truck travel on Area 1 routes to the

coast.

Highway Number

Highway Name

ATR Recorder Location

Nearby AADT Range

Truck AADT

Truck Count Range

Truck AADT Percentage

OR 6 Wilson River Highway

38.55 Gales Creek 2,500 - 5,000

600 500-999

10.9

US 26 Sunset Highway

37.6 Timber Junction

5,000 - 10,000

310 0-500 3.82

US 30 Lower Columbia River Highway

53.3 Clatskanie and Rainier

5,000 - 10,000

740 500-999

7.79

Congestion and Capacity

Congestion is measured by state and federal agencies by Volume to Capacity Ratio (V/C R). This

ratio analyzes the capacity of a roadway in terms of the number of vehicles passing through, and

divided by the number of vehicles that theoretically could pass through when the roadway.

The Oregon Highway Plan documents the mobility targets for each highway type within the State

of Oregon. The V/C Ratio for the Wilson River Highway is expected to operate at .75 or below

outside urban growth boundaries and at 0.95 within an urban growth boundary that is an

identified STA (City of Tillamook). This V/C Ratio is modeled after the 30th Highest Hour of

traffic.

On the Wilson River Highway, all segments meet mobility targets as described in the Oregon

Highway Plan. Outside of urban areas, this facility exceeds expectation on performance; there is

no delay from congestion during the 30 HH. Below is a table showing the highest V/C ratio

segments along the corridor. As previously mentioned, Highway 6 has sufficient capacity; for

many segments, the V/C ratios are well underneath the levels described in the OHP.

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Point of Reference

Beginning Mile Point

End Mile Point

Segment Length

Average Annual Daily Traffic (AADT)

Volume To Capacity Ratio

Posted Speed

Average Speed

East bound couplet near US101 (3rd ST.)

0 0.03 0.03 6700 0.9 20 16.4

Tillamook County

1.8 2.13 0.33 6500 0.51 55 54.4

Tillamook County

2.68 3.29 0.61 5400 0.45 55 55

Tillamook County

17.92 25.8 7.88 4700 0.34 55 54.1

Washington County

36.7 38.95 2.25 5500 0.39 55 54.8

Washington County

49.09 50.03 0.94 9200 0.63 55 53.2

Washington County

50.03 51.62 1.59 9700 0.65 55 52.8

18

Safety

The following table provides a brief overview of crashes and crash severity along the Wilson River

Highway from mile post 0 to 51. Crashes at intersections along the Wilson River Highway are

included in these numbers as well.

Year Fatal Crashes

Non-Fatal Crashes

Property Damage Only

Total Crashes

2017 3 52 12 67

2016 0 51 47 98

2015 3 51 39 93

2014 1 38 36 75

2013 2 38 49 89

Of these crashes, the most frequent crash type has been roadway departure crashes. This is also

the most frequent crash type for rural state facilities. Between 1 and 9 crashes a year has involved

trucks as well.

In order to analyze crashes on state highways, all state transportation agencies utilize the Safety

Priority Index System to address corridor crashes. The Safety Priority Index System is a systemic

scoring method that identifies potential safety problems on state highways. It utilizes three years

of crash data and considers frequency, crash rate, and crash severity to create lists of crash areas

on state and local facilities. A highway segment becomes a SPIS site if a location has one or both

of the following:

• Three or more crashes

• One or more fatal crashes over the three-year period.

These SPIS sites are then further investigated by ODOT engineers and planners to determine

solutions that address the crash type. Segments are analyzed on 1/10 of one mile. These solutions

are then compared in a benefit-cost analysis to determine which would be appropriate for funding

in the region. ODOT Region 2 has $31,236,000 for funding these sites in the All Roads

Transportation Safety program, which is 36% of the state’s total Safety budget.

The SPIS program can normally only afford to fund the top 1% to 3% of the SPIS sites in Region 2.

Because of this, traffic investigators only review the top 5% of SPIS sites for funding purposes. For

2017, Highway 6 had no SPIS sites in the top 5% of Region 2. This means that Safety funding

from Region 2 was not applicable for this roadway on the 2021-2024 STIP. The frequency and

severity was not high enough to compete with the rest of the region. For analytic purposes, I

expanded the search to the top 15% so that we could look at where frequent crashes do happen.

19

Below is a map of the top 15% SPIS sites for Highway 6, and well as US 26 and US 30. Although

every SPIS site is analyzed during a funding cycle, usually ODOT only has enough funding to

address some of the top 5% - the rest of the sites are usually PDO crashes and are further

examined to be fixed with low-cost systemic treatments (curve warning signage, striping, rumble

strips). I included data from the top 15% of the list for purposes of inclusion. For informational

purposes, a crash involving a fatal is always included in the top 5%.

The map depicts two primary areas along Hwy 6 that target SPIS sites – a closer scale view shows

that there are several SPIS locations grouped into one area along mile point 25. The first is within

the City of Tillamook and the second set of locations is between MP 25.10 and 25.2.

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Comparison to US 26 and US 30

The table below shows the number of SPIS locations in the top 15% for US 30, US 26, and Hwy 6

within Area 1 only: Sections of Portland and the eastern portion of Washington County were

excluded. The table shows that the frequency and number of SPIS sites is much greater on both

US 26 and US 30, as well as the number of SPIS sites within Urban areas.

Highway Highway Name

SPIS

Number

(Top 15%)

SPIS #

within

Cities (Top

15%)

OR 6 Wilson River Highway 11 2

US 26 Sunset Highway 29 0

US 30 Lower Columbia River Highway 67 52

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ODOT Safety Corridor Designation

Safety Corridor designations are given to sections of highways that have a higher than average

crash rate. They are determined by the following items

• The crash rate is calculated by the five year average of fatal and serious injury crashes and

must be above the 150% list for a similar type of roadway on the Functional Classification

System. Highway 6 does not have a crash rate that would qualify as a safety corridor. Any

request for a safety corridor can come from concerned citizens, safety groups, or the

NWACT.

• The Designation Team determines that the corridor is a manageable corridor.

• State/Local law enforcement officials agree to commit to making the corridor a patrol

priority.

• A Multi-disciplinary stakeholder group meets on a regular basis to work on the corridor.

Highway 6 does not have a crash rate that is above the 150% of the latest statewide average for a

similar type of roadway and does not qualify for this program. The crash rate for most of the

facility is below 1.00, the rate for ODOT rural collectors is 1.56. The rate is well below the

statewide average. The program does take requests to review corridors that do not qualify. A

request can be sent to Sam.Johnston@odot.state.or.us and the web page is

https://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/Safety/Pages/Roadway.aspx .

ODOT Program Overview The Statewide Transportation Improvement Program, also known as the STIP, is the Oregon

Department of Transportation’s capital improvement program for state and federally-funded

projects. The Oregon Transportation Commission and ODOT develop the STIP in coordination

with a wide range of stakeholders and the public (including the NWACT). The 2018 – 2021 STIP is

in progress and has already been defined, a full project list can be found here:

https://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/STIP/Pages/2021-2024-STIP.aspx . The following programs were

defined by the OTC in the STIP for 2021 to 2024:

• Fix It programs fund projects that fix or preserve the state’s transportation system,

including bridges, pavement, culverts, traffic signals, and others. ODOT uses data about

the conditions of assets to choose the highest priority projects. In recent STIPs the

Commission has allocated most funding to Fix-It programs. This STIP cycle has

$850,000,000.

• Enhance programs fund projects that enhance or expand the transportation system. The

previous Enhance program ended after the 2018-2021 STIP cycle and was replaced with

earmarked projects from HB2017. Highway leverage projects are included in this category.

Enhance budget totals are $686,580,261.

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• Safety program is made up of the All Roads Transportation Safety Program, Rail Crossing

Safety funding, and Safety Leverage from HB 2017. This program is data driven (crash

data) and requires a benefit cost analysis as well as a federally approved counter measure.

Program funding is $146,850,000

• Non-Highway Non-highway includes discretionary programs under Active

Transportation and required programs related to transit and Safe Routes to School, as well

as the 1% of Bicycle/Pedestrian funding from the Bike Bill. This totals to $158,286,568.

• Local Programs include STBGP, MPO funding, CMAQ, Local Bridge, and a host of other

discretionary and non-discretionary programs open to local agencies. Program funding is

$406,781,419.

Highway 6 (Wilson River Highway) STIP Projects

The 2018-2021 STIP includes the following projects on Highway 6:

• OR 6 ZigZag Creek Culvert – Design Only - $572,000

• OR 6: Mills (Wilson River Bridge – Design Only - $264,800

The 2021-2024 STIP (150% List) Includes the following projects on Highway 6:

• OR 6: Devils Lake Fork/Wilson River Bridge – Bridge Painting

Maintenance activities on OR 6 in the foreseeable future include:

• New Pavement and striping from Mile post 4.40 to 11.80. No roadway capacity will be

added. Timeline: 2 – 4 years from 2019.

ITS Program

Trip Check Camera

Trip Check provides an incredibly valuable service to travelers who use state highways. Trip

Check cameras are placed along strategic locations on the highway to provide a visual of the road

conditions. In Northwest Oregon, this is particularly beneficial during flooding and snow events,

but also during peak periods of summer congestion.

Trip check cameras rely on either cellular service or fiber optic lines to transmit data from

cameras. While fiber optic lines are an option, they are incredibly costly and do not provide a

reasonable option in rural areas.

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Call Boxes

The following section discusses call-box infrastructure, which has been requested to be

researched by some NWACT constituents.

Call Box infrastructure became popular in the 1980’s and

1990’s on the West Coast (primarily in California) to provide

motorists a way to dial for emergencies. Network sizes have

varied across the United States, but they have been installed

in both rural and urban locales, as well as on interstates and

local streets. Most locations of call boxes in the US are limited

to emergency uses only – pay phones historically

supplemented the need for personal calls. Nowadays, cellular

telephones are making call boxes obsolete.

Most state and local agencies in the US are either phasing out

or limiting their call box infrastructure. Reasons cited for this

are either lack of use or the improved network coverage of

cellular phones. Emergency service functions (such as dialing

112), improved Incident Management capabilities (TIMS at

ODOT), or vehicles equipped with emergency contact abilities

have also contributed to the phasing out of call boxes.

In Oregon, the ODOT Intelligent Transportation Systems unit has phased out the use of call

boxes. The program is no longer installing or connecting this technology; the last known places of

call box infrastructure in Oregon were in Medford. After discussing this information with the ITS

program manager, call box infrastructure is impractical (and antiquated) for the following

reasons:

• Repeated vandalism

• Very infrequent use

• Lack of producers who make Call Box infrastructure/what few products remain are mostly

incompatible.

• Expense amounts are high -

• Network coverage is expanding (covered below)

The ODOT ITS program is working with network providers (most notably Verizon 5G) to further

identify areas of lacking cell service along state highways. While providers such as Verizon are

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aware of gaps in coverage, input from ODOT is important because it shows where locations are

pertinent to roadway use. The ODOT ITS program manager is aware of lacking cellular service

along Highway 6 and has included this information in their work with Verizon.

Recommendations Recommendations – After reviewing the data and ODOT program availability, this report makes

the following planning-level recommendations for improvements on the Wilson River Highway.

These improvements are for both the NWACT and ODOT, as well as coordination with additional

agencies and private companies.

ITS and Communications Coverage:

ODOT is currently working with network providers to improve cellular service along state

highways in Oregon. An opportunity for the NWACT would be to create their own working

group to work with cellular providers to expand services along Highway 6. This effort fits within

the scope of NWACT work activities and is a great opportunity for local leaders to work together

with private industry to solve an issue.

ODOT TripCheck cameras provide valuable information for travelers and maintenance offices.

Cameras are often installed where there is either cell service or close (and inexpensive) fiber optic

lines, often within an urban area. ODOT is in support of a camera at the Summit (MP 32) but the

lacking cellular service eliminates the cheap option to transmit data. Fiber optic tie-in was cost

prohibitive; maintenance offices could not afford to connect to fiber optic lines at the summit.

The NWACT can stress this importance when they work with providers to increase cell service; if

cellular service is extended, it would be easier to move the Trip Check camera to the summit. This

is another reason that the NWACT should establish a working group to improve cell service along

Hwy 6.

Adding roadway and shoulder capacity – passing lanes, truck pull-offs, pull outs

The research shows that there is minimal to no delay in flow on OR 6; travel time is not affected

and the volume to capacity (V/C Ratio) is sufficient. Additionally, investments for passing lanes

would not likely have a positive cost benefit analysis or reduced carbon emissions; since there is

no delay, the project would not provide a positive cost benefit when applied to federal funding

programs. Last, in comparison to US 26 and US 30, OR 6 does not have the status on the

functional class system, priority planning routes, or volumes compared to other routes that

connect the coast to the valley.

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With the passing of HB2017, the focus of future transportation projects was to fix the system.

Enhance was eliminated for the 2021-2024 STIP, and instead HB 2017 provided earmarked projects

on state and local facilities. HB 2017 provided funding for only one passing lane project: OR 58

Passing lanes (MP 31.6 – 32.4). Currently, there are no ODOT programs in the 2021-2024 STIP

that would fund the addition of passing lanes outside of the one project that was earmarked.

Even if previous funding models were reinstated, ODOT programs would have a difficult time

funding passing lanes on this roadway when competing with other parts of the state – the cost of

additional passing lanes would be hard to justify given the functional classification of Highway 6

(Minor Arterial), low traffic volumes/lack of delay, and presence of several passing lanes already

on the facility.

Anecdotal information from the NWACT suggests that drivers experience frustration when

driving behind large trucks that take time to maneuver curves along the first 25 miles of Highway

6. This is supported by the percentage of trucks to passenger vehicles (around 10%) that travel

Highway 6. One possible outcome to solve this issue would be to pave an area for a Truck Chain-

Up area that could double as a pull off. This would be significantly less than the cost of passing

lanes and has some flexibility with regards to funding sources in comparison to passing lanes. It

would also increase safety for vehicles that encounter snow while entering the coast range.

Safety:

An opportunity for proponents of improved safety on Hwy 6 would be to conduct an educational

outreach plan. Crash histories indicate a trend of roadway departures and reckless driving, and

an educational outreach effort by the NWACT could increase safe driving behaviors on the

corridor. ODOT has funding to develop materials and this would be a great opportunity for the

NWACT to create a sub-group and promote safe driving on Highway 6.

Safety Corridor designations are given to sections of highways that have a higher than average

crash rate. They are determined by the following items

• The crash rate is calculated by the five year average of fatal and serious injury crashes and

must be above the 150% list for a similar type of roadway on the Functional Classification

System. Highway 6 does not have a crash rate that would qualify as a safety corridor. Any

request for a safety corridor can come from concerned citizens, safety groups, or the

NWACT.

• The Designation Team determines that the corridor is a manageable corridor.

• State/Local law enforcement officials agree to commit to making the corridor a patrol

priority.

• A Multi-disciplinary stakeholder group meets on a regular basis to work on the corridor.

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Highway 6 does not have a crash rate that is above the 150% of the latest statewide average for a

similar type of roadway and does not qualify for this program. The crash rate for most of the

facility is below 1.00, the rate for ODOT rural collectors is 1.56. The rate is well below the

statewide average. The program does take requests to review corridors that do not qualify. A

request can be sent to Sam.Johnston@odot.state.or.us and the web page is

https://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/Safety/Pages/Roadway.aspx .

ODOT has developed materials to promote safe driver behavior. The NWACT could establish a

working group to implement these materials. Materials could be shared online and on social

media platforms, as well as in print format.

Speed:

The speed limit is consistently 55 MPH outside of urban areas. Tom Messenger has repeatedly

asked for a speed limit change near OR 8. Any speed limit change would have to be warranted by

a speed study. When analyzing speed data along the corridor, the speed limit is appropriate with

regards to the flow and average speed (average speed varies between 50 and 60 on OR 6); a speed

limit study could be investigated but a change would not likely be warranted.

Additionally, speed limit reduction requests along the facility are contradictory to the requests for

passing lane improvements – providing capacity to allow for speed increases on one section of the

corridor but limiting speeds on another section does not improve travel time, it only causes

significant cost.