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j_ --_ -----I region has increased the strain on the roadway network, both in terms of traffic congestion and wear and tear. Growth is also concentrated in already developed areas of the County due to limited water availability in many areas. Most of the congestion in Kittitas County occurs in the urban areas or at certain times of the year -near ski resorts in winter or routes accessing the lakes in the summer. Heavy seasonal congestion on the major interstates and state routes can lead to traffic diverting onto local county roads. This poses both safety risks and delays to residents and also increases the maintenance burden on the County. The Growth Management Act (GMA) requires that the Transportation Element support the land uses envisioned in the Comprehensive Plan. Thus, an important component of this plan was forecasting how the future land uses envisioned in the County, as well as regional growth, would influence demand on Kittitas County's transportation network. Based on growth estimates from Kittitas County Conference of Governments, the County is preparing for 23,297 new residents and 11,155 new workers by 2038. The County then allocated the growth throughout the region based on adopted zoning, observed development patterns, and other county policies. Analysis was conducted on 45 segments of interstate, arterial, and collector roadways throughout the County. Roadway segment operations were evaluated and assigned a level of service (LOS) grade based on their operations in terms of a ratio of PM peak-hour traffic volumes to the roadway segment's capacity. In Kittitas County, the standard for a roadway to be considered "acceptable" is LOS C for rural roads and LOS D for roads within urban growth boundaries. Based on this analysis only one segment is expected to exceed LOS standards during the 20-year planning horizon -Bowers Road located just to the north of Ellensburg is projected to be at LOS E by 2038. This Rural roads are the foundation of the Kittitas County road network. section is within the Urban Growth Area boundary in an area of rapid development. A future planned project to connect Bowers Road to Look Road would bring this section back into compliance with the County's LOS standards and i s included in the project list. Detailed LOS results and methodology can be found in the 2018- 2038 Kittitas County Long Range Transportation Plan. Based on the regional demand and the forecasted traffic volume, all other County roadways should be able to accommodate anticipated local and regional growth over the next 20 years. Nevertheless, the County should monitor key segments especially near freeway interchanges, proposed new commercial and residential developments, and potential bottleneck locations to maintain an efficient roadway network. Page 42