Volume 2: Draft Gorst Planned Action Environmental Impact Statement

GORST PLANNED ACTION EIS | AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT, SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS, AND MITIGATION MEASURESHighways and RoadwaysState HighwaysThe Gorst UGA is served by two state highways that provide access to and serve mobility needs within and beyondthe county. The two major state highways that connect to Kitsap County from the Puget Sound region are SR 16,which connects to Pierce County, and SR 3, which connects to Mason County and the Olympic peninsula.At the community of Gorst, SR 16 connects with SR 3. SR 3 continues north through Kitsap County to the HoodCanal Bridge and south to Shelton. Just north of the Gorst UGA boundary, SR 304 connects to SR 3 providing a linkfrom SR 3 to downtown Bremerton and the Bremerton to Seattle Ferry. To the south of the Gorst UGA boundary,SR 3 provides access to the SKIA and the Bremerton National Airport.Highways of Statewide SignificanceIn 1998, Highway of Statewide Significance (HSS) legislation was passed by the Washington State Legislature andcodified as RCW 47.06.140. HSS facilities are those highways that promote and maintain significant statewidetravel and economic linkages. The legislation emphasizes that these significant facilities should be planned from astatewide perspective. Local jurisdictions will assess the effects of local land use plans on state facilities. HSSfacilities located in whole or in part within the Gorst UGA are listed below:• SR 3–US 101 (Shelton) to SR 104 (Hood Canal Bridge).• SR 16–I-5 (Tacoma) to SR 3 (Gorst).National Highway System (NHS)The NHS is one component of the national transportation system, defined as part of the federal Intermodal SurfaceTransportation Efficiency Act, which was the precursor to Transportation Equality Act for the 21-Century (TEA-21)and Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). The purposeof the NHS is to focus resources on roadways that are most important to interstate travel and national defense,that connect other modes of transportation, and that are essential for international commerce. The entireinterstate highway system is part of the NHS, which also includes a large percentage of urban and rural principalarterials, the defense-strategic highway network, and other strategic highway connectors. Both of the highways inthe Gorst UGA are part of the NHS.Functional ClassificationsClassifying roadways by their function helps in system planning, maintenance, and operations. The classificationsystem is used in day-to-day decisions and long range planning for land use and transportation purposes. Allroadways exist to serve two functions: mobility and land access. Mobility refers to the movement of vehicles orpeople at a reasonable speed. Access refers to the ability to get on the roadway, and includes features such asdriveways, parking, and loading areas on the street. At times, these functions conflict with each other.To minimize these conflicts, a system of classifying arterials, collectors, and local streets has been established.Functional classifications are based on the following characteristics:• Average trip lengths.• Traffic characteristics such as volumes, design, and posted speeds.• Roadway design characteristics such as right-of-way requirements, number of travel lanes, lane widths,shoulder widths, medians, sidewalks, and turn lanes.• System continuity.• Degree of access control.• Operations, including parking and signal systems.Draft | June 2013 3-152