Vancouver region State Route 14 - Delay
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Measures of delay on the SR 14 corridor in the Vancouver area
Travel delay
Travel delay is the amount of extra time spent at speeds below a given threshold—such as the posted speed limit or the maximum throughput speed on a highway. WSDOT uses maximum throughput speed (85% of posted speed limit) as its threshold for calculating delay, which it measures in either annual hours of delay per vehicle or annual hours of delay per person. For details on methodology to calculate travel delay, see WSDOT's Handbook for Corridor Capacity Evaluation (PDF 5.9MB).
Fiber optic communication lines, traffic data stations and traffic cameras have been installed along SR 14 and SR 503 in Clark County. This infrastructure helps travelers make informed decisions with more accurate real-time roadway information. Cost-effective ITS solutions like these, which allow the existing transportation system to operate as safely and efficiently as possible, are increasingly common along I-5, I-205 and other Southwest Washington highways.
Heat maps
The heat maps below show vehicle hours of delay by time of day (measured in 5-minute intervals) and milepost. The darker the shading in a particular spot on the heat map, the more hours of delay occurred at that time and place. Shading is standardized across all the corridors to allow for comparison.
There is a separate heat map for each direction of travel. The eastbound graph below is read from the left to the right, while the corresponding westbound graph is read from the right to the left. For additional details on how to read heat maps, see Handbook for Corridor Capacity Evaluation (PDF 5.9MB).
Sources: Source: WSDOT Multimodal Planning Division and WSDOT Transportation Safety & Systems Analysis Division and WSDOT TRACFLOW (https://tracflow.wsdot.wa.gov/)
Note: Source data collection devices have been update in 2017. Delay = Hours of travel delay
Multi-year trends
In 2022, delay continued to increase over 2021, due to the ongoing recovery of traffic volume in the wake of COVID-19. However, delay was still significantly less compared to the pre-pandemic level.
In 2020, due to the statewide response to COVID-19, there was a significant decrease in delay compared to previous years.
From 2018 to 2019, SR 14 vehicle delay increased from 2,600 hours to 11,100 hours.
Annual highlights
In 2022, travelers experienced more delay than 2021, but still significantly lower than the pre-pandemic level. Travelers on SR 14 in the Vancouver region experienced 2,400 hours of vehicle delay, 300% h more than the 600 hours in 2021. The most intense vehicle delay on the SR 14 corridor occurred between mileposts 7.0 and 9.0, both eastbound and westbound.
In 2021, travelers experienced more delay than 2020, but it was still significantly lower than the pre-pandemic level. Travelers on SR 14 in the Vancouver region experienced 600 hours of vehicle delay, 500 hours more than 100 hours in 2020. The most intense vehicle delay on the SR 14 corridor occurred between mileposts 7.0 and 8.0, both eastbound and westbound.
In 2020, due to the statewide response to COVID-19 there was a significant decrease in delay compared to previous years. Travelers on SR 14 in the Vancouver region experienced fewer than 100 hours of vehicle delay, down just over 99% from 11,100 in 2019. Intensity of vehicle delay was significantly reduced compared to other years.
In 2019, travelers on SR 14 in the Vancouver region experienced 11,100 hours of vehicle delay, up more than 330% from 2,600 in 2018. The most intense vehicle delay on the SR 14 corridor occurred between mileposts 7.0 and 8.0.
Westbound morning delay was similar to eastbound delay in the evening. Westbound morning delay quadrupled from 2018 to 2019.
In 2018, travelers on SR 14 in the Vancouver region experienced 2,600 hours of vehicle delay, down 77% from 11,400 in 2017. The most intense vehicle delay for both directions of the SR 14 corridor occurred between mileposts 7.0 and 8.0.
The delay westbound in the morning was similar to the eastbound delay in the evening; the westbound morning delay decreased by roughly 13% compared to 2017, while the eastbound evening delay decreased by more than four times compared to 2017.