SR-18 Forum: Key Takeaways on Advocating for Design Criteria
The IATC hosted a public forum on December 22nd to address the current engineering plan for the SR-18 project. IATC President David Dunphy presented on this project and then responded to audience questions. The following article highlights some key points discussed during that event. For more information on the SR-18 advocacy work that the IATC is doing please visit our advocacy page.
SR-18 has been undergoing several iterations of a redevelopment process to improve safety and accommodate our growing region by expanding the road. Early on in this process the IATC identified that wildlife connectivity and recreation access are critical to bring to that project.
We are currently advocating for changes to Phase 2 of the engineering plan for this project.
Where we are now
Phase 1 of this project works on improvements to the SR-18/I-90 interchange in the city of Snoqualmie. Thanks to the dedicated work of the City of Snoqualmie and the Snoqualmie Tribe, WSDOT decided on a diamond interchange for this section which will greatly improve traffic and safety through this area. Phase 2 will work on the bulk of the project moving over Tiger mountain.
”[WSDOT] went through a listening process… created a technical advisory committee and released an initial plan for this phase 2 portion of the project in late November which is what we are commenting on right now” clarified David. They are currently working on a budget and will take that to the legislature.
The Good
WSDOT is widening the road and adding a median to improve traffic safety. There are some S- curves they are going to work to straighten. They have identified 4 wildlife passages to include and 6 fish passages to widen along the road. When WSDOT expands roadways they are required to mitigate for wetlands and tree removal. There are currently plans for this as well.
What’s Missing
“We are looking for clarity on wildlife connectivity.” They haven’t given much information about what the wildlife passages will look like or how they will accommodate large mammals. Additionally, there is currently no plan for an interchange at Tiger Summit, rather there will be a median preventing access to the trails at Tiger Summit. There is also a unique opportunity here to think about the regional trail system and there is currently no consideration for that.
We have coordinated with many other groups including the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust, Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance, city governments, and other partners to coordinate the effort to have these key elements included in the engineering plan for this project.
Wildlife connectivity
“How do we prevent the alps from being disconnected from the greater Cascade ecosystem?” SR-18 intersects the Snoqualmie, Sammamish and Cedar River watersheds. “This is a unique opportunity to connect these forest lands so that wildlife can have a continuous healthy habitat, but we need clarity on what these passages will look like and how they will accommodate large mammals.”
The four passages WSDOT have identified primarily follow rivers through the corridor. “What we are asking is that we use a similar model to I-90 to allow for the passage of large mammals”. Given that bridges already exist on SR-18 in key areas, expanding these to be wildlife underpasses seems reasonable. “What they do is bring the bridge deck up so that traffic can keep moving while allowing wildlife to move through the area.” The key being separating wildlife from traffic and recreation. “Trail access is a separate issue to this as human activity is not compatible with wildlife mobility.”
”In the absence of these connections and the presence of increased traffic, if we don’t accommodate these animals we essentially build a wall preventing them from accessing the rest of their habitat.” We are asking that these be included in the plan now so that we don’t waste money having to go back and fix it later as we have seen with many fish passage culverts. We have an opportunity to do it right the first time.
Read more about wildlife connectivity.
Summit Interchange
The median WSDOT is putting in to increase safety across SR-18 currently doesn’t allow for access to Tiger Summit or Taylor Mountain on the other side. “If you’re coming from the City of Snoqualmie to Tiger Summit you could get there… but to get home you would have to go all the way to Issaquah Hobart Road, turn around, and come back. From the South, you would have to go all the way to the City of Snoqualmie and then all the way back over the pass.” And this is not just true for the 4,000 recreationalists traveling there each week. Logging trucks, cell tower service vehicles, and other industry movements will have to go this way as well. Not only would this increase congestion in certain areas, the extra CO2 emissions from the increased travel distance go against the IATC’s climate change efforts. Investing in this infrastructure supports industry, recreation, and safety. “It’s the only reasonable solution.”
Recreation
The IATC is asking WSDOT to recognize the importance of access for hikers, bikers, and equestrians in this space and regional trails. “It’s a really critical piece of connecting people to our landscape.” There’s not really an ask that WSDOT build these trails, but we want them to understand that there is a vision for regional trails and they shouldn’t create infrastructure that precludes this vision from happening.
Your Voice
We want to ensure your voices are heard before the budget goes to the state legislature.” At that point it will become a lot harder to influence the project.” On our website there is a sample letter you can send to the project engineer and our local representatives urging these engineering criteria be included in the project design.
“We haven’t had a lot of opposition to the project from our legislature, but they are being very pragmatic about the budget, and they don’t want to delay the project. All we are asking for is for the design to be included at this point.” We are relying on WSDOT to tell us how much it will cost and what the design will look like so that we can collaborate on how to make it happen, but before that can happen, the design work needs to be done. “When you include these types of things as engineering criteria there is a lot of creative thinking that happens to make them work.”
Finally, Dunphy urged us all to go see the opportunity for ourselves. “I encourage everyone to also go be in space. Maybe travel over SR-18 in the next few weeks and think about the opportunity we have here.” This is a moment that we need public comment and pressure, but we will need to stay connected to this project as it goes into implementation. The IATC is always looking for volunteers to connect to projects so if you’d like to get more involved please reach out here. “We recognize that this is a difficult year for the legislature and they are going to have to make difficult decisions. We want to find a balance between thinking about the future and being pragmatic, but we want to make sure we do this right because we really only have one chance to do this right.”
Learn more about the IATC’s advocacy efforts on the SR-18 Project on our advocacy page.