Kittitas County I-90 Widening
Amount Requested: $5,000,000
The Kittitas County I-90 Widening Project would fund planning activities concerning potential solutions to congestion on this critical east-west corridor. Ultimately, the project would aim to alleviate this congestion and make for a safer I-90 for Kittitas County's communities, residents, and visitors. As an initial step, a corridor feasibility study has been developed with associated recommendations. Funding of $5,000,000 will develop the Planning and Environmental Linkage (PEL), performing a deeper dive into the environmental evaluation and development of environmental documentation, which will go towards mitigating any potential environmental impacts that may result from future work done on the identified stretch of I-90 within Kittitas County. This is for the portion of I-90 in Kittitas County, WA between milepost 71 and milepost 85. Traffic impacts from vehicles attempting to bypass long backups on I-90 continue to be a concern expressed by the community. There is interest in providing needed capacity on I-90 to allow traffic to remain on the interstate, promoting efficient movement of vehicles, freight, and emergency vehicles.
This project is on the WSDOT Statewide Transportation Improvement Plan (STIP). The goal of the project is to reduce traffic accidents, improve circulation, and protect public lands by improving infrastructure on a dangerous portion of I-90 between Easton, WA and Cle Elum, WA.
Washington’s critical east-west I-90 Corridor connects Puget Sound's deep-water ports, large population centers, and retail and service businesses with educational, agricultural, and recreational areas in central and eastern Washington. In addition, I-90 provides emergency access for wildfire crews and medical services, which are virtually unavailable between North Bend and Ellensburg. In 2009, the state launched an ambitious project to address numerous threats to the safety and reliability on Snoqualmie Pass. The I-90 East project has increased traffic efficiency but only for a brief stretch of the road. Traffic cruising along in three lanes is compressed to two lanes shortly after crossing the summit.
Daily traffic on Snoqualmie Pass averages 22,400 passenger vehicles and 4,600 freight vehicles. Traffic volumes can rise to more than 58,000 vehicles on weekends and holidays. According to Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), each year, 10 million freight trucks carrying $500 billion worth of interstate, import, and export goods move through Snoqualmie Pass on Interstate 90. The traffic volume has increased by over 25 percent over the last five years and is predicted to continue to increase every year moving forward.
Federal Nexus: Section 133(b)(2) of title 23, United States Code, as amended by title III of division A of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.