A quick look at the statistics demonstrates why Highway 500 is such a priority for traffic planners. According to counts taken last year by the Southwest Washington Regional Transportation Council, the intersection at 54th Avenue sees about 63,000 vehicles a day, and the intersection at 42nd Avenue has about 58,000.
That volume of traffic is an invitation for accidents, delays, and general driver frustration. Because of that, the Washington State Department of Transportation is considering three options for mitigating traffic and improving safety along the corridor. Officials will hold an open house to discuss the proposals from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday at Roosevelt Elementary, 2921 Falk Road.
There are no easy solutions. Officials estimate that traffic along Highway 500 has increased 30 percent over the past decade, which has altered the nature of a road originally designed as a free-flowing east-west alternative to Fourth Plain Boulevard. Over the past five years, there have been nearly 400 crashes at 54th/Stapleton Road or 42nd/Falk Road. Both intersections have signals, and about three-fourths of the crashes have been rear-end collisions.
That points out the best way to reduce collisions — improved attention from drivers. “The primary cause is those lights in the context of growing traffic volumes, plus driver inattention,” WSDOT’s Carley Francis told The Columbian. That is not unique to Clark County; in 2016, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration attributed 3,450 driving deaths to distracted driving. So, before discussing the proposals for Highway 500, we remind motorists of the need to pay attention to the road.
That being said, we would advocate for Option 1 among the plans being considered. This would eliminate traffic signals at the two intersections by closing the feeder roads. Stapleton Road and 54th Avenue would be turned into cul-de-sacs, as would Falk Road and 42nd Avenue to the west. A new grade-separated pedestrian/bike crossing would be built at Northeast Stapleton; one already is in place at Falk Road.
WSDOT officials estimate this would eliminate 90 percent of accidents through the corridor, and removing the lights would reduce travel times and traffic delays. The estimated cost is between $3 million and $4 million, and the plan would create some inconvenience for drivers who typically exit or enter Highway 500 at the existing intersections.
Option 2 would institute a right-turn-only system to and from the highway. Option 3 would create a restricted U-turn concept. Officials also should consider eliminating the light at 42nd, where a pedestrian crossing exists, but leaving 54th as it is to limit inconvenience. Notably, officials say roundabouts are not a viable option because of the volume of traffic. Along Highway 14 in Washougal, where two roundabouts are planned, there are about 14,000 daily trips — less than one-fourth of the Highway 500 volume.
While we are happy to offer our thoughts about the proposed changes, what really matters is input from local residents. In addition to Thursday’s informal open house, WSDOT will invite online feedback from Thursday through May 25. Francis said: “As we hear what those points of feedback are, we will look at them in context of what we’ve developed so far and figure out whether there are refinements that we can make.”
Any changes to Highway 500 will be met with cheers from some residents and jeers from others. We encourage residents to make their voices heard while WSDOT officials are listening.
