nwact executive committee meeting meeting... · 2019-09-09 · presentation and discussion ken...
TRANSCRIPT
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 [email protected] Mary McArthur, Staff: 503.970.3336 or [email protected]
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
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WILSON RIVER HIGHWAY – OR 6
CONDITIONS REPORT
OREGON DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Updated August, 2019
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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.
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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.
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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).
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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
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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• 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.
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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
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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
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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.
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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
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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
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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.
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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 [email protected] 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 [email protected] 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.