Transportation Commission Office – PO Box 47308 – Olympia, WA 98504-7308 – 360-705-7070
Contact: Reema Griffith, WSTC executive director, 360-705-7070 (Olympia)
Focus will be on regional transportation issues
OLYMPIA – Community leaders and local officials from the Ocean Shores and Grays Harbor area will meet virtually with the Washington State Transportation Commission next week to discuss transportation issues and challenges being faced in the region.
The meeting will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 16, from 1 to 5 p.m., and reconvene on Wednesday, Nov. 17, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Due to limitations on the size of gatherings in response to COVID-19, this meeting will be conducted virtually using Zoom Webinar. People interested in attending can register on the commission’s website. The meeting will be broadcast live on TVW at www.tvw.org.
On Tuesday, the Southwest Washington Regional Transportation Planning Organization will brief the commission on the region’s transportation challenges and needs. The Grays Harbor Transportation Authority will present on its COVID-19 response and contingency planning for disasters. Representatives of Grays Harbor County will brief the commission on the strategies being used to address the county’s challenges, such as erosion impacting roads and bridges. City of Ocean Shores staff will brief the commission on the effects of population growth and climate change to the local transportation system.
Tuesday’s meeting will end with an overview on transportation and economic development. The commission will learn from Greater Grays Harbor, Inc. about how increasing coastal tourism has affected economic growth and the development of the area’s transportation system.
On Wednesday, the commission will learn about the Port of Grays Harbor’s capacity, traffic, and efforts to improve access to and from the port. The Quinault Indian Nation will then brief the commission about its road program, issues that it is facing, and the effects of climate change on its road system.
The commission will also hear from a multijurisdictional panel on the importance of State Route 109 and SR 115 as the main access point to the area, and the challenges they face due to weather and landslides. The City of Aberdeen will brief the commission on a project to separate the rail from the road to address traffic and safety concerns and improve the movement of freight from the Port of Grays Harbor.
Public comment will be taken at 12:05 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 17. People wishing to speak can sign up during the meeting by posting their name in the Q&A box that can be found on-screen. Written comments can also be submitted via email at: transc@wstc.wa.gov.
For more information about the commission and a complete meeting agenda, visit: www.wstc.wa.gov/.
Free, temporary internet access is available to those who do not have broadband service in locations throughout the state. To find the nearest Drive-In WiFi Hotspot visit: www.commerce.wa.gov/building-infrastructure/washington-state-drive-in-wifi-hotspots-location-finder/.
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Information: Individuals requiring reasonable accommodations may request written materials in alternate formats, sign language interpreters, physical accessibility accommodations, or other reasonable accommodations by the Commission Office at (360) 705-7070 or Transc@wstc.wa.gov. Persons who are deaf or hard of hearing may contact the event sponsor through the Washington Relay Service at 7-1-1.
Title VI Notice to Public
It is the Washington State Transportation Commission’s (WSTC) policy to assure that no person shall, on the grounds of race, color, national origin, or sex, as provided by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be otherwise discriminated against under any of its programs and activities. Any person who believes his/her Title VI protection has been violated, may file a complaint with WSDOT’s Office of Equal Opportunity (OEO). For additional information regarding Title VI complaint procedures and/or information regarding our non-discrimination obligations, please contact OEO’s Title VI Coordinator 360-705-7090.