Quimper Peninsula Transportation Study

The Quimper Peninsula Transportation Study is now posted on the Jefferson County Public Works website.

The Port Hadlock "Crossroads"

A few years back Jefferson County hired Transpo Group of Kirkland to build a travel demand model for the Quimper Peninsula. We shared the data with the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) to contribute to the SR 19/20 Corridor Plan and we initiated our own study that covered a larger area and focused on the Irondale & Port Hadlock Urban Growth Area (UGA). We have now completed the contract with Transpo Group and the final products are up on the web.

The Quimper Transportation Study, Study Appendices and the 2008 Travel Demand Model Documentation can be found here: http://www.co.jefferson.wa.us/publicworks/trans_planning.asp.

An anticipated next step is to scope a “UGA Roadmap” project that will use the Quimper Transportation Study as a foundation for further transportation planning. Refer to initial goals, deliverables and outcomes below (after "the jump").

UGA Roadmap

The "UGA Roadmap" is current an unfunded, conceptual planning project. The following outline is in a draft stage. Your comments are welcome!

Project Goals

The goals of this project are to:

• Improve road, trail and bus efficiency for residents, businesses and visitors in the Irondale & Port Hadlock UGA.
• Reduce impacts to the environment as development and redevelopment of residential and commercial areas take place.
• Develop and adopt clear transportation-related development standards to improve public and private sector development.
• Produce a capital plan that includes design concepts and cost estimates for improvements to priority intersections, road segments and non-motorized corridors identified in previous planning efforts.
• Improve livability.

Project Deliverables

The following deliverables are expected at the conclusion of the Irondale & Port Hadlock UGA Roadmap planning project process:

1. UGA Roadmap Vision – renderings and text that describe a shared vision of how the transportation network and urban infrastructure system will transform over the next 20 years.
2. Draft UGA Component of the updated Transportation Element for the 2016 Jefferson County Comprehensive Plan review and revision under the Washington State Growth Management Act (GMA).
3. Development standards for transportation improvements and associated stormwater facilities to be implemented concurrently with anticipated new commercial and residential development and redevelopment.
4. A capital plan that includes design concepts and cost estimates for improvements to priority intersections, road segments and non-motorized corridors as identified in previous planning efforts.
5. Evaluation of alternatives and strategy for implementation of Transportation Demand Management (TDM) measures to promote the use of Jefferson Transit and other transportation modes other than single-occupancy vehicle (SOV) use for trips within the community and between the Irondale & Port Hadlock UGA and the City of Port Townsend, which is the county seat and principal area employment center.

Project Outcomes

This project integrates transportation, community and system preservation plans by:

 

• Improving the efficiency of the transportation system. The UGA Roadmap will enhance efficiency, mobility and safety on SR 19, SR 116, Chimacum Road and Irondale Road; improve the connection between land use decisions and transportation investments; and promote multimodal transportation alternatives through non-motorized facility development and transit-oriented infrastructure. Design concepts and cost estimates for improvements to priority intersections, road segments and non-motorized corridors will enhance the capability of Jefferson County and the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) to acquire the needed funding for full design, right-of-way and construction.

 

• Reducing impacts of transportation and associated stormwater on the environment. The Project will seek ways to control and minimize impacts from stormwater runoff from transportation facilities in an urbanizing area. Stormwater Low Impact Development (LID) techniques will be specifically addressed in the development standards. The UGA Roadmap will also address active (i.e., non-motorized) transportation planning for facility development and incentives for multimodal transportation alternatives to SOV use. Increased mode share for public transportation, walking and biking will decrease the emission of greenhouse gases (GHG), thereby reducing climate change impacts due to transportation.

• Reducing the need for costly future investments in public infrastructure. The UGA Roadmap will establish a direct connection between land use and transportation through the adoption of development standards that will result in concurrency between development and transportation infrastructure investment. The development standards will also plan for the continued maintenance and state of good repair for the infrastructure already in place. The capital plan will be implemented through a combination of public projects and developer-funded improvements.

• Providing efficient access to jobs, services and centers of trade by improving the transportation system in a designated UGA concurrent with construction of a wastewater treatment system. New commercial and high-density residential development is expected in this urbanizing area. Many Irondale and Port Hadlock residents currently commute to Port Townsend, the only incorporated area in Jefferson County, for work and shopping. The UGA Roadmap, including the TDM and multimodal component for travel between housing in the Tri-Area and employment in Port Townsend, will improve transportation access and options for area residents and visitors. Improved public infrastructure in Port Hadlock is expected to attract investment, which would enable the creation of more jobs in Port Hadlock, thereby decreasing the need for commuting for work or traveling out of the area for shopping.

• Examining community development patterns and identifying strategies to encourage private sector development that achieve these purposes. The UGA Roadmap plan will develop plans for transportation and stormwater infrastructure investment. It will encourage private sector development by providing clear standards that support UGA livability goals.