A quirk of old state transportation planning may finally be addressed as the Washington State Department of Transportation and the city of Ridgefield eye changing jurisdiction of the north section of state Route 501.
During their meeting July 19, the Washington State Transportation Commission heard from both WSDOT and city representatives on a route jurisdiction transfer request of the road. More commonly known by its local name of Pioneer Street, as a state route it falls under state control.
If approved, that control would transfer to the city. Development continues on both sides of the road on the eastern side, but on its western stretch, state Route 501 becomes a winding, two-lane roadway that enters downtown Ridgefield.
The road currently doesn’t meet any criteria of why it would need to be a state-controlled highway, WSDOT Southwest Regional Administrator Carley Francis said. Its current designation is a throwback to prior state road planning.
“In Clark County, we actually have two (Route) 501s because, long ago and far away, there was an expectation that they might connect,” Francis said.
The southern portion runs along Mill Plain Boulevard out to the Port of Vancouver, then north to the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge south of Post Office Lake.
Francis didn’t know what the initial time frame was for the envisioned connection, but as long as she’s been involved with WSDOT it was never a part of the plan.
Francis noted the amount of water between the north and south sections of the existing state route. The land where a possible connection could occur is also environmentally significant, making any road development unlikely.
“We don’t see that connection ever being made,” Francis said.
She acknowledged Clark County was growing, so more roads could be beneficial for traffic flow, just not where state Route 501 would run.
“I know there’s a lot of discussion in Clark County about whether or not there need to be additional roadways,” Francis said. “This is certainly not a good location for them.”
Francis said the separated nature of state Route 501 has been a source of confusion for many.
“I had a conversation with a city council member who was unaware of the 501 in Ridgefield,” Francis said.
Francis said WSDOT has a good working relationship with the city, to which Ridgefield City Manager Steve Stuart agreed.
“This is not anything to do with us wanting to not be working with WSDOT. In fact, they have been a tremendous asset for the city,” Stuart said.
Stuart said the city requests to have the state Route end at Ridgefield city limits. Because WSDOT owns the right of way up through the area where a connection could be made, it could prove beneficial for a long talked-about multimodal trail system that would connect the area around the Port of Vancouver and Vancouver Lake to Ridgefield.
“That right of way that WSDOT has is incredibly valuable to be able to maintain a footprint to be able to have that trail,” Stuart said.
Having the road transferred to the city would give Ridgefield more control on decision-making. Though the city officials noted the benefits, they did address some concerns they hope to have answered before the transportation commission makes their final decision in October.
One of the concerns raised by the City Council and residents was the pavement condition of the existing roadway.
“There are areas of it that we know have some deficiencies,” Stuart said. “That’s OK. We know it’s not a new road.”
The city also had concerns over slide areas on the road’s approach into the downtown area. Costs from slides in the past 20 years have ranged from $100,000 to $1 million, Stuart said. In those instances, WSDOT has helped fix those conditions.
“We simply, before the route jurisdiction is final, want to make sure that we’ve done the analysis of those areas to make sure that a slide isn’t waiting to happen,” Stuart said.
Stuart noted the Ridgefield City Council has not taken formal action on accepting the shift of control. He equated the concerns the city had as taking a look at a house before signing the purchase papers.
“We see the benefits in it. It’s just the devil in the details,” Stuart said.
