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Chapter 4 TRANSPORTATION For connections outside of the County, Greyhound has a service with a stop in Ellensburg, the Apple Line bus travels north into Chelan and Okanogan counties, and the Bellair private charter bus takes residents to and from the SeaTac Airport. Grant and Kittitas Counties were recently awarded a grant to create an express route from Ellensburg at Central Washington University to Moses Lake in Grant County. This project will facilitate travel between the counties along the 1-90 corridor. 4 .2 .3 Freight Network Freight and goods movement is a vital and often underappreciated component of the transportation network. Everyone is directly impacted by how goods are delivered to ports, distribution centers, stores and homes. Freight movement is essential in Kittitas County in order to bring goods to citizens as well as to export products such as the world famous Timothy Hay grown in Kittitas County. Kittitas County is home to a number of key freight-generating and time-sensitive industries, including agriculture and forestry. Providing a transportation system that accommodates these key economic generators and the timely movement of goods is important to Kittitas County. The Washington State Department ofTransportation (WSDOT) has identified the state's major truck corridors. They rank the corridors by the amount of goods that they carry each year, measured in gross tons annually. The region is also bisected by a major railroad corridor carrying over 5 million tons of goods each year. These freight modes are major economic drivers in the region, both as customers to the businesses along the routes and as providers of goods movement for producers and growers in the County. 4.2.4 Bowers Field Airport Freight trucks are important for economic success but also bring transportation and safety challenges. Bowers Field (ELN) is the largest airport in Kittitas County and is located just north of Ellensburg. Home to the Central Washington University Flight training program, it provides regional connections for tourism, emergency medical services, and firefighting operations. In 2012, it supported 129 jobs and $11.8 million in regional economic activity6 • Bowers Field is planning for significant capital construction over the next six years to better serve small jet aircraft and increase economic development opportunities. 4.2.5 Auto Network and Level of Service With many Kittitas County residents and employees relying on vehicles as their primary mode of transportation, the County's roadway network is critical to the transportation system. Growth within the 6 WSDOT. 2012. "Airport Economic Profile". https://www.wsdot.wa.gov/NR/rdonlyres/A3DF6FC9-CB27-4CBD-BAA4- 31 F26BC08896/0/2012BowersField.pdf Page 4 7