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The road, as proposed, creates an "oxbow", which would not meet WSDOT Design Guidelines. In order for the change to proceed, one of the following must happen: (a) Another entity could take over jurisdiction of the road, such as Kittitas County; the road would then have to meet design standards for the County; or (b) The proposed realignment could be designed in such a way that it meets WSDOT standards; however, this may not be possible; or (c) a variance would have to be granted by WSDOT. A combination of measures (b) and (c) would most likely allow the improvement to be built. The road should be designed to smooth out the curves and bring the road as close as possible to WSDOT standards. If WSDOT still has concerns, then the ski area should apply for a variance. It is understood that the ski area intends to fund the engineering, design and construction of the improvement. Sufficient time for review and approval by WSDOT should be included in the schedule for the project. WSDOT approvals can take from 6 to 18 months. The road design should include a 40 mph design speed, and maintain adequate snow storage. 2) Alternative Alignment of SR-906 at Summit West It might be possible to realign SR-906 in the area of Summit West to the northeast, so it lies closer to 1-90. Land swaps or right-of-way acquisition might be involved. Doing so would provide and opportunity to develop a "village" master plan that would integrate parking, access and direct pedestrian connections between the ski base and the commercial areas. This idea has several advantages: Reducing vehicular/pedestrian conflicts by removing most road crossing activity; creating additional areas for parking; making shared ski/commercial use of commercial parking areas feasible; and reducing traffic conflicts on SR-906 for Summit West parking. Several issues would need to be investigated, including: Right-of-way, slope and road grade issues, impacts to existing commercial development, visual impacts on the 1-90 scenic corridor and funding. If other measures do not solve the traffic and parking problems on SR-906, this alternative could be re-considered; however, a brief initial review indicates that the cost of such a project makes it unfeasible. Accordingly, it will not be considered further or relied upon to solve existing problems at the Pass. 3} Improvements at Exit 53 underpass/SR-906 Intersection By 2015, traffic in this area will become congested during peak ski arrival and departure times. Speeds could drop to just a few miles per hour. This will be frustrating for drivers, and would create a negative perception in their minds about their recreational experience. Manual traffic control could help with this problem . If drivers leaving the area can flow freely onto 1-90, congestion would be reduced. Those arriving in the morning should be able to flow freely onto SR-906.Manual traffic controls should be tested in the field before becoming policy. Allowing greater movement for off-ramp traffic could create delay problem on SR-906 as it Kittitas County Comprehensive Plan December 2016