SEPA checklist guidance, Section B: Transportation

14. Transportation

a. Identify public streets and highways serving the site or affected geographic area, and describe proposed access to the existing street system. Show on site plans, if any:

Reviewing agencies need information to determine if a proposal will contribute to existing congestion, safety, noise, dust, maintenance, or other transportation problems. This includes increasing road use.

Describe site access roads and provide a street or vicinity map showing access to the site. Descriptions should include highways or other listed major arterials not directly adjacent to the site. These roads are likely to be used by employees, customers, residents, and for the movement of materials or goods on and off the proposal site.

"Traffic hazards" also is an element of the environment under SEPA making traffic hazards a consideration when accessing impacts. To consider traffic hazards, it is necessary to evaluate the existing environment and the proposed project in terms of transportation safety. There could be a need to include data such as the following:

• What is the crash history on streets affected by the project?
• Will changes in the street or traffic operations affect the crash history?
• Are there new risks being introduced that could be mitigated? (Consider operating characteristics of pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders, general-purpose vehicles, and trucks.)

Additional resources:

• Safety Analysis Guide, Washington State Department of Transportation
• Highway Safety Manual (HSM), American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials
• Crash Modification Factors (CMF) Clearing House
• Integration of Safety in the Project Development Process and Beyond, a Context Sensitive Approach, Institute of Transportation Engineers
• Integrating Road Safety into NEPA Analysis, A Practitioner’s Primer, Federal Highway Administration

b. Is the site or affected geographic area currently served by public transit? If so, give a general description. If not, what is the approximate distance to the nearest transit stop?

Include details about types of public transportation, as well as proximity to nearest train stations and/or bus stops. The desirable service areas for public transportation are located within a 1/4 mile radius of proposal location.

Additional resources:

• Public Transit agencies provide information about existing service in your area.

c. Will the proposal require any new — or improvements to existing — roads or streets, or pedestrian, bicycle, or state transportation facilities, not including driveways? If so, give a general description and indicate whether it’s public or private.

Describe and provide a map of multimodal transportation system improvements including the following:

• Pedestrian and other non-motorized transportation
• Public transportation
• Safety improvements (such as barriers and buffers)
• Number of lanes and turn lanes
• Road surfacing
• Lighting and signage or other design elements
• Stormwater conveyance

If changes are proposed to state highways, please consult with WSDOT Development Services in the area.

Additional resources

• Active Transportation Programs Design Guide
• Land Use and Transportation Concurrency Guidance
• Congestion Management Strategies

d. Will the project or proposal use (or occur in the immediate vicinity of) water, rail, or air transportation? If so, give a general description.

Describe existing and proposed water, rail, and air transportation facilities and services. Include information about how the proposal will use or impact air, water, and/or rail transportation. Provide information about:

• Transportation of raw materials
• Product delivery
• Waste disposal
• Commutes to and from the proposal site

e. How many vehicular trips per day would the completed project or proposal generate? If known, indicate when peak volumes would occur and what percentage of the volume would be trucks (such as commercial and non-passenger vehicles). What data or transportation models were used to make these estimates?

Measure the number of vehicle trips directly associated with the proposal, as well as indirect results of structural or facility uses. Identify the number of trips to and from the project site during a given 24-hour period. In addition, identifying information about peak-hour trips can speed the review of a project.

If there are probable capacity impacts to state highways, please consult with WSDOT Development Services in the area.

f. Will the proposal interfere with, affect, or be affected by the movement of agricultural and forest products on roads or streets in the area? If so, give a general description.

Additional resources

• WSDOT commodity flow map

g. Proposed measures to reduce or control transportation impacts, if any: Identify public streets and highways serving the site and describe proposed access to the existing street system.

Mitigation includes avoiding, reducing, or compensating for impacts that result from the proposal and temporary impacts from construction. Common mitigation strategies include:

• Designing the proposal to accommodate safe and accessible walking, biking, and other active transportation routes. Examples of this include:
  • Pedestrian-friendly design, including smaller setbacks, parking behind buildings, and building sidewalks and bike lanes.
• Consolidating trips by planning for mixed-use development in the area. 
• A transportation plan to reduce commute trips per day, particularly during peak hours (see Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) program).
• Parking management strategies to ensure right size parking for the proposed project. 
• Transportation management strategies to reduce trips and incorporate incentives to reduce trips to project sites.
• Road improvements such as widening or adding signs, signals, and turn lanes.
• In-lieu fees to cities and counties with adopted programs.

Additional resources

• County Road Administration Board Standards of Good Practice
• WSDOT Development Services contact page