State Route 67 Highway Improvements Project

Virtual Scoping Meeting

The scoping meeting was held on January 27th; you can submit public comments until February 19, 2021.

Project

The Project focuses on operational improvements emphasizing mobility and safety for the traveling public and goods. Various travel modes are considered during typical and emergency highway conditions, including emergency access, recreational access, and wildlife connectivity.

The improvements will address deficiencies in multimodal transportation along with recreational and wildlife movement. Multimodal transportation includes bus as well as active bicycle and pedestrian options.

Operational improvements include, but not limited to, the following elements:

Two-way left-turn lanes;
Left/right turn pockets;
Minimum standard shoulders;
Slow vehicle turnouts;
Centerline channelizers/concrete barrier;
Increase temporary emergency evacuation capacity; and
Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS).

Multimodal transportation improvements include the following elements:

Bus stops;
Bike paths/lanes; and
Sidewalks and signals/pedestrian bridges to connect communities.

Recreational access and movement include the following elements:

Additional parking lot(s) at trailheads;
Scenic turnouts at vista points; and
Culverts/pedestrian bridges connecting trails and other natural resources.

Wildlife movement includes the following elements as part of wildlife corridors:

Culverts allowing wildlife to cross under the roadway; and
Bridges and/or roadway tunnels, allowing wildlife to cross over the roadway.

Conceptual Purpose and Need

Purpose

The purpose of the State Route (SR-67) Improvements Project is to improve the safe and efficient movement of people and goods utilizing various modes of travel during typical highway operations and emergencies such as wildfires.

The objectives of the proposed Project are to:

Enhance traveler safety;
Maintain or reduce travel times within the project limits;
Increase temporary emergency evacuation capacity during wildfires and other emergencies;
Encourage multimodal transportation by providing active options such as bike paths and/or lanes where feasible;
Facilitate recreational and wildlife movement along and across the route; and
Actively preserve the human and natural environment along the route.

Need

Highway travelers experience increased travel times and overall delays during everyday highway operations. This condition is exacerbated during emergencies such as wildfires due to a lack of temporary evacuation capacity. In addition, multimodal infrastructure is lacking despite the public demand for bus, bicycle, and pedestrian accommodations. The existing highway also limits the movement of recreational users and wildlife, including many endangered wildlife species. Access to recreational areas along SR-67 has insufficient parking, few dedicated crossings, and limited trail-network connectivity. There are no dedicated crossings for wildlife within the project limits.