SR 14 is a key highway on the Washington side of the CRGNSA that connects communities and recreational areas. As more people have moved to our region, recreation sites along SR 14 have become more popular resulting in travel delays and related safety concerns. Since population growth is expected to continue, with more people travelling on SR 14 to access the CRGNSA, the FHWA, USFS and WSDOT are undertaking this project to plan for the future and develop strategies that can reduce congestion and improve safety along the highway.

The Dog Mountain Trail is very popular, especially in the spring when wildflowers are blooming. However, there is limited parking at the Dog Mountain Trailhead. This, in combination with an increase in use of the trail, has led people to park along the highway when the parking lot is full, creating safety issues. USFS in partnership with Skamania County has implemented a permit and shuttle bus system, but it is not expected to meet the long-term needs. As part of this planning process, FHWA, USFS and WSDOT will explore options to improve or relocate the trailhead and address these safety and congestion issues.

Because this portion of SR 14 runs through the CRGNSA, any changes to the corridor will be subject to the CRGNSA Management Plan. This plan contains specific protections for natural, scenic and cultural resources that the SR 14 plan will need to take into account. Some of the resources that are protected by the CRGNSA Management Plan include:

• Wetlands, lakes and ponds
• Streams and riparian habitats
• Priority habitats and sensitive wildlife sites
• Rare plants and natural areas

Some sections of the CRGNSA are subject to stricter protections that also include forest resources.

The key safety concerns along the corridor include:

• Visibility at driveways/access roads
• Narrow shoulders
• Overflowing parking lots
• People parking on the shoulders of SR 14 and County roads
• People driving too fast for conditions

Crash History

Five years of crash data along SR 14 was analyzed to determine locations where the number of crashes exceed the average. The following highway segments were flagged for further review:

• West end of CRGNSA to Cape Horn Trailhead
• Doetsch Ranch Road to West Bonneville
• Wishram to east end of the CRGNSA

The most common types of crashes in the corridor were collisions with a guardrail, while rear-end collisions were the second most common. The most common contributing factors to crashes were drivers exceeding reasonable speeds and inattention. These crash types are consistent with SR 14's character as a scenic, winding highway with many cross streets, turnouts, access points and trailheads.

In addition to documented crashes on SR 14, the following recreation sites have experienced vehicles parking illegally in the shoulder when parking lots fill up, creating a potentially unsafe situation for vehicles and pedestrians:

• Cape Horn Trailhead
• Dog Mountain Trailhead
• Drano Lake
• Coyote Wall
• Catherine Creek
• Klickitat Spit

Traffic volumes on SR 14 vary significantly along the length of the study corridor but remain within the capacity limits of SR 14. Congestion is most likely to happen in more urban locations during rush hour or in peak tourism seasons (typically spring and summer).

Parking lots at popular recreation sites fill up on weekends, particularly in peak seasons, which can create safety and congestion concerns as people park on the sides of adjacent roads. In areas like Dog Mountain, this has started to happen on Fridays and Mondays as well.

The planning team expects traffic and visitor use to increase in the future, particularly at locations most accessible from urban areas.