179th St Access Management and Circulation Plan

The area around Northeast 179th Street is experiencing rapid development. Development will increase traffic in the area. The existing road network was not designed to accommodate the increased traffic volume. A plan is needed to balance increased traffic volumes with safety and mobility. The goals of the plan are:  

  • Make main roads safe for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians.
  • Prevent traffic congestion.  
  • Accommodate infrastructure and utility needs of the rapidly developing area. 
  • Protect the area’s wetlands, creeks and wildlife and reduce stormwater pollution. 

Page contents (click to jump to a section) 

About the plan

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The area around Northeast 179th Street is rapidly developing. Development will increase traffic volumes. This will increase congestion and make travel through the corridor less safe. An access management and circulation plan will help avoid those issues. 

Years ago, the area around Northeast 134th Street experienced rapid development. There was no adopted plan for how to change the area's road system to accommodate increased traffic. As a result, the area experienced severe traffic congestion. To east congestion, a major capital project was needed to create an interchange at Northeast 139th Street. The 179th Street Access Managment and Circulation Plan plans ahead to avoid congestion issues. 

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The plan aims to prevent congestion and safety issues as the area develops. The plan helps guide the connection of new, local roads built by developers (not Public Works) to the rest of the road network. 

The plan includes: 

  • Proposed road changes. 
    • New roadway connections
    • Relocation of roadways
  • Recommended road design. 
    • Number of lanes
    • Facilities for bicyclists and pedestrians
  • Intersection types and locations.
    • Roundabouts
    • Stop-sign-controlled intersections
    • Traffic-light-controlled intersections
  • Access locations. 
    • Where vehicles can turn on to/off of main roads
    • Driveway access
  • Safety features. 
    • Medians
    • Sidewalks
    • Bike lanes
    • Lighting

The plan does not: 

  • Initiate county acquisition of privately-owned land. 
  • Review or approve proposed developments. 
  • Approve or initiate overall development in the area. 
  • Require that property owners develop their land. 
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Recommendations in the plan are only implemented as property develops. Property development is the result of private owners deciding to sell their property. 

Recommendations in the plan include roadways that would be built by the county, the state (Washington Department of Transportation), developers or through partnerships.

This plan is not a capital (i.e., construction) project. Capital projects sometimes require small portions of private property to be purchased to widen a road, etc. Often only a small portion of a private parcel is needed for a public project. When this happens, the county informs the property owners about their rights. We also offer fair market value for the property and pay for any loss in value to the remaining property. In cases where the size or shape of the remaining property has little or no value or use, we offer to purchase the entire property. For more information, go to clark.wa.gov/public-works/property-acquisition.

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The proposed plan was scheduled to be adopted during the 2021 annual update to the Comprehensive Growth Management Plan. On May 25, 2022, council moved the plan from the 2021 update cycle to the 2022 cycle. Council also directed staff to provide additional opportunities for public input. The plan can be adopted and implemented if the Planning Commission recommends it for adoption (which it did in February 2022) and council approves it. 

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The plan was created by engineering consultants and county transportation planning staff. Transportation planners used industry standard models and best practices to create the plan. The plan’s goal is to create a corridor where vehicles, pedestrians and bicyclists can travel safely and efficiently.  

Two stakeholder groups were involved in the creation of the plan:

  • The Technical Advisory Committee, which included staff from:
    • Washington State Department of Transportation
    • Clark County (planners and engineers)
    • City of Vancouver
  • The Stakeholder Advisory Committee, which included representatives of:
    • Neighbors
    • Neighborhood associations
    • Utility providers
    • Developers

Each group met three times during the development of the plan to provide guidance and input as the plan’s recommendation’s were developed.

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Public input was gathered at multiple public meetings across several years, and in writing via mail and email. Public comments influenced several aspects of or changes to the plan, including:  

  • Preserving left turn access between Northeast 15th Avenue and Northeast 29th Avenue. The left turn access would remain until an intersection or access control is needed because of traffic volumes or safety issues.  
  • Removal of a proposed neighborhood circulator road near Northeast 174th Street.  
  • Relocation of a planned roundabout from Northeast 45th Avenue to Northeast Mill Creek Avenue.  
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Some roads proposed in the plan could not be relocated because of the location of wetlands in the area. The plan’s recommendations avoid wetlands and aim to preserve wildlife habitat. Also, existing developments and developments under construction make some changes not possible.

Additional plan information

Council work session March 29

The Clark County Council is holding a work session about the 179th Street Access Managment and Circulation Plan on Wednesday, March 29. The goal of the work session is to provide council with information about the plan. Council is requesting this information as they consider adopting the plan. At the work session, staff will present questions submitted by residents and provide answers, as time allows. 

The council will decide whether to move the plan to a public hearing. If the plan moves to a public hearing, the public will have an opportunity to submit additional comments during the hearing. 

The work session will not delve into the circumstances that led to the need for the plan, i.e., development and lifting of the area's urban holding designation. 

Click here to learn more about attending the work session.

Work session Powerpoint Presentation.

Work Session Outreach
Public input for the work session

Please review these lists of questions submitted by the public, and responses: 

Frequently Asked Questions

8/11/2022 Open House Questions, Responses

Submit questions or comments about the plan that are not reflected in the documents above to 179thstreetproject@clark.wa.gov. Comments received by 5 p.m. Monday, March 20 will be combined with the above documents and, as time allows, be addressed by staff during the work session. Questions submitted after that time will receive responses from staff and be shared with council after the March 29 work session. 

Project timeline

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Sept. 10: Community open house at Alki Middle School

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  • Council is hosting a work session on March 29 to:
    • Hear from staff about how public comments and questions were considered in creation of the plan.
    • Ask questions of project staff and consultants.
    • Receive (limited) additional public comment about the plan (as time allows).
    • Consider adoption of the plan.

Public input archive