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Tran&portltion <br />Environment <br />Transportation decisions are not, and should not be, exempt from environmental review. Impacts <br />to the natural and built environment need to be taken into consideration before any major <br />transportation decisions are made. Most local transportation improvement projects are subject to <br />state and federal environmental regulations as well as any local environmental laws that apply. <br />County road projects (CRPs) routinely follow SEPA regulations unless they are specifically <br />exempted under WAC 197-11-305, 800 through 880. Some large transportation improvement <br />projects arc also subject to NEPA --the National Environmental Policy Act. Other environmental <br />reviews are part of permitting for work over or adjacent to streams. <br />Economic Development <br />Transportation facilities are an important consideration to a business or industry making location <br />decisions. The decision whether or not to locate in a particular jurisdiction can rest solely in the <br />balance of access to transportation facilities. Businesses look at their need to get customers and <br />supplies to their location with ease. Industrial developments need access to transportation <br />facilities for shipping and receiving. Many local jurisdictions have to balance their desires to <br />attmct new businesses and industries against the obligation to provide transportation services. <br />4.4 . Level of Service / Concurrency <br />Kittitas County measures level of service (LOS) for arterial roadways utilizing the Highway <br />Capacity Manual (HCM) LOS methodology. The Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) method of <br />measuring LOS is recognized as a national standard and is currently being utilized by other <br />jwisdictions throughout the state and within Kittitas County including the Washington State <br />Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and the City of Ellensburg. <br />4.5. Existing Deficiencies <br />The adopted LOS methodology and threshold determinations are stated in Section 4.8 Goals, <br />Policies, and Objectives, specifically Level of Service (LOS) and Concurrency GPO 4.25 through <br />GP04.33. <br />Twenty-Year Forecast <br />As the population grows within the county, the number of registered vehicles and drivers will also <br />inc~. Where those vehicles travel will depend, in large part, on where the drivers reside, shop <br />and work. Determining the likely increases in traffic along transportation facilities is based on the <br />land uses, which will be permitted and even encouraged in various parts of the cowity. The Long- <br />Range Tnmsportation Plan that is maintamed by the Kittitas County Department of Public Works <br />and adopted by reference indicates the twenty-year forecasted traffic growth and level of service <br />impacts to the County's transportation system. <br />Kittitas County <br />Comprehenalve Plan 4-4 <br />December 2016