Transportation Planning

The City of White Salmon developed a Transportation Plan Lite using the consulting firm of Nelson\Nygaard. The focus of White Salmon's Transportation Plan Lite was to identify key transportation projects that will improve the access and walkability through town for residents and visitors alike. It is intended to complement the adopted 2021 Comprehensive Plan. This work focused on the area within the existing city limits as well as the outlying Urban Exempt Area.

Primary goals of the plan were to:

• inventory and classify the existing street system
• create a locally appropriate hierarchy of street standards for use when permitting new developments
• identify larger potential for desired street connections
• incorporate identified existing and desired bike and pedestrian routes such as safe routes to schools, Loop Road route, and possible connections from Mamie Gaddis Park to Spoke Bike Park
• develop implementation policies for actionable street standards, particularly where off-site substandard conditions exist
• identify funding mechanisms and strategies, including securing and planning for direct public investment in street infrastructure and planning for reasonable, predictable, and consistent exactions from private developers

PROJECT TIMELINE

Winter 2023

• Public outreach on draft project list
• Council Workshop

Spring 2023

• Finalize project list
• Prioritize projects and provide planning-level cost estimates for top priority projects
• Finalize program, policy, and partnership recommendations
• Draft TSP

Summer 2023

• Planning Commission and Council review
• Public Hearings
• Final TSP adoption

A WALKABLE WHITE SALMON

Part of this process included a kickoff visit and presentation by urban planner Jeff Speck. A renowned city planner and walkability advocate, Speck first caught the attention of many with his TED Talk on the Walkable City, which has been viewed over a million times. He’s passionate about how cities can become more walkable and more pleasant for people, with a focus on making the walk more appealing than the drive. His 2012 book Walkable City was the best-selling city-planning book of the past decade.

Speck's visit and presentation focused on the factors that make cities walkable, and included specific recommendations for White Salmon to consider.

About Nelson\Nygaard
The transportation planning and engineering firm Nelson\Nygaard is an industry leader in innovative transportation solutions and setting national standards in complete streets, public innovative transportation solutions and setting national standards in complete streets, public transit, parking policy and transportation demand management program.