Planning study news
The project team has organized the study into four phases.
Phase 1 – Understanding Needs
Phase 2 – Impacts and Safety
Phase 3 – Solutions and Competitive Impacts
Phase 4 – Draft and Final Report
Work for Phase 1 of the study is now underway. Since April, the study team is hard at work to complete the first phase of the study – Understanding Needs.
The project team is collecting information from companies that create and move freight to be able to build a transportation model. The transportation model is being used throughout the study to determine how the transportation network will need to change to continue moving goods into and out of Eastern Washington.
Additionally, the study team formed two advisory committees: the Technical Advisory Committee and the Community Advisory Committee. These groups will meet throughout the study to provide additional review and input for data analysis and community engagement, respectively.
Phase 1 tasks will culminate in the publishing of an interim report in December 2024, which will include analysis of:
- Existing Goods Movement Conditions
- Existing Volumes
- Rail and Vehicular Volume Changes
Technical Advisory Committee: The Technical Advisory Committee is charged with reviewing study elements and representing their organization/agencies interests. Their primary role is to ensure that the study is using the most up to date local, regional and state data. This includes keeping agency partners informed about technical and policy work and helping the project team understand local, regional, state and tribal needs. The Technical Advisory Committee is comprised of representatives from various organizations, federal, state and local representatives, and businesses.
Community Advisory Committee: The Community Advisory Committee is charged with representing organizational and governmental interests and reviewing community engagement approaches within the study. Their primary role is to ensure that the study considers the direction of current local policy and maintains strong community engagement and outreach. This includes keeping local organizational stakeholders and government offices informed about the study and engagement opportunities, as well as helping the project team understand local, regional, state and tribal needs. The committee is comprised of representatives from various local organizations and local elected officials.
Purpose
The Snake River from Clarkston to Pasco contains four dams (Ice Harbor, Lower Monumental, Little Goose and Lower Granite). There has been much interest in removal of these dams for the benefit of salmon, steelhead, Pacific lamprey, bull trout, sturgeon and other native fish species. While there have been several studies that address the topic of removing the dams, there is limited understanding of how transportation would be affected.
As such, the Legislature (see ESHB 2134, Section 217 (9)) directed WSDOT to conduct an analysis of highway, road and freight rail transportation needs, options and impacts of shifting the movement of freight and goods that currently move by barge to truck and rail. This study will fulfill that request by the Legislature.
Upcoming engagement opportunities
Join us in November for our online open house. To stay up-to-date on details, come back to the project webpage as it nears or join GovDelivery to receive project updates.
Quarterly reports and other resources can be found in the Outcomes tab below.
