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Vantage to Pomona Heights Chapter 3 230 kV Transmission Line Project FEIS Affected Environment PAGE 3-172 • WSDOT Engineering, Environmental, and Permitting Staff The information from these sources was used to determine the existing transportation conditions within the Project study area. 3.7.2 Current Conditions and Trends, Regional Overview For the purposes of this analysis, the Project study area includes the transportation infrastructure located within a two-mile corridor; one mile either side of Action Alternative route segment center lines. To provide additional context, regional highways outside of the Project study area are also described. The analysis considered issues related to transportation in the area raised during the public scoping process. Scoping comments included concerns for a potential increase in the use of Washington State Department of Natural Resources, unauthorized access to state lands, private property access road impacts, and state highway access for Project construction, operations, and maintenance or roadway crossing. 3.7.2.1 Federal Highways and State Routes The state highway “state routes” system forms the primary road network within the Project study area. In the region, including all three counties, the state highway system serves statewide, regional, and local traffic demands. The main roadways in Grant, Kittitas, and Yakima Counties in the Project study area include Interstate (I) 82, Washington State Route (SR) 821, SR-24, and SR-243. Highways just outside the Project study area include I-90 to the north, U.S. Highway 12 to the west, and Washington SR-26 to the northeast. I-82 is a major east-west freeway which connects I-90 to the north and I-84 to the south (in Oregon). Within the Project study area, I-82 is oriented in a generally north-south direction. The interstate allows direct connectivity to major urban areas of Seattle, Washington and Boise, Idaho. Locally, the interstate serves the City of Yakima. The interstate is a four-lane facility with a divided median. The shoulder width is four feet on the inside and 10 feet on the outside. Traffic operations along this major interstate highway are characterized by relatively free flowing traffic with no controlled intersections; speed limits are 70 miles per hour (mph) through the Project study area. Three rest areas and designated viewpoints are located within the Project study area on I-82: 1) east- bound Selah Creek Rest Area; 2) west-bound Manastash Ridge Viewpoint; and 3) east-bound Manastash Ridge Viewpoint (see Appendix A – Project Maps: Land Use). Another rest area, the west-bound Selah Creek Rest Area, is located just outside of the Project study area approximately 1.5 miles northeast of the east-bound Selah Creek Rest Area. SR-243 is a north-south collector highway with managed access. The highway connects SR-24 at the south terminus and SR-26 at its north terminus, as well as connecting travelers in southern Grant County to I-90. The route travels through southern Grant County and within proximity of the population centers of Desert Aire, Mattawa, Beverly, Schawana, and Vantage. The highway is two-lanes with a speed limit varying between 35 and 55 mph, depending on proximity to population areas. Roadway shoulders on both sides are typically four to six feet wide and partially paved. The highway is relatively free flowing except in more densely-populated areas with more frequent slow-down areas at signalized or stop sign controlled intersections. SR-821 begins at the I-82 exit 26/Harrison Road intersection north of East Selah and extends north, following Yakima Canyon. SR-821 is on the western fringe of the Project study area and is a designated Washington State Scenic Byway (see Section 3.8 – Visual Resources).