Conduct PHearing_BullfrogRoad_SpeedIncrease

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KITTITAS COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS PUBLIC WORKS — BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ENGINEER'S REPORT - SPEED CHANGE REQUEST FOR BULLFROG ROAD (MP 0.00 TO MP 0.72) PUBLIC HEARING DATE: September 16, 2025 ACTION REQUESTED: Increase the existing 35 MPH Speed Limit to 50 MPH on Bullfrog Road from MP 0.00 to MP 0.72. LEAD STAFF: Josh Fredrickson, Public Works Director RECOMMENDATION: Increase the existing 35 MPH Speed Limit to 50 MPH on Bullfrog Road from I-90 (MP 0.00) to the Tumble Creek private road entrance (MP 0.72). BACKGROUND: The State of Washington sets the maximum speed limit for county roads at Revised Code of Washington Chapter 46.61.400. The State of Washington authorizes local authorities to establish or alter maximum speed limits at Revised Code of Washington Chapter 46.61.415. Kittitas County Code manages 35 miles per hour speed limited roads at Chapter 10.08.020 and 50 miles per hour speed limited road at Chapter 10.08.030. Bullfrog Road (MP 0.00 to MP 0.72) posted speed limit is currently 35 miles per hour. Public Works utilizes national engineering standards when evaluating speed limits on County Roads. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) recently published guidance in the "Speed Limit Setting Handbook" published in January of 2025. The new guidance is similar to previous guidance, and in general, jurisdictions should collect vehicle speed data and determine the 85' percentile speed. Traffic engineers should rely on the 85fl' percentile speed to help establish speed limits. Typically, the speed limit is set to the speed that separates the bottom 85% of vehicle speeds from the top 15%. However, new guidelines introduce additional factors which should be included in an engineering study. FHWA now specifies that "the 85t percentile speed should not be used as the sole consideration in setting speed limits".