Highway System Plan

Over half of the vehicle-miles traveled every year in Washington state occur on state highways, and planning helps keep the wheels turning on these facilities. People travel the state highways in personal vehicles, vanpools and buses to reach jobs, schools and services. Some also walk and bike along and across state highways to reach these destinations. Truckers use state highways to move goods. The state highway network supports successful businesses and healthy communities. WSDOT is committed to providing safe, reliable and cost-effective transportation options for the traveling public.

WSDOT is updating the HSP to identify program and funding needs in order to:

• Preserve and maintain the existing state highway system.
• Improve safety.
• Maximize operational efficiency.
• Provide people with travel choices.

The plan will meet our responsibility to protect and leverage past taxpayer investments before investing in multimodal system growth, consistent with RCW 47.06.050.

Previous editions of the HSP can be found at the State Library of Washington.

The HSP update (PDF 475KB) describes the update process currently in progress.

Regular updates are important

• Describe the role of highways: Interstates, US routes and state routes are part of an interconnected multimodal transportation system.
• Reflect a modern strategy: WSDOT’s Practical Solutions approach prioritizes overall system performance and maintenance over expansion.
• Address today’s needs: Changes in technology, preservation and maintenance shortfalls, population shifts and state fish passage requirements.
• Plan for future needs: System resilience, clean energy and the rise of autonomous vehicles.

Meeting today’s needs

• Evaluate trade-offs within financial constraints.
• Recommend funding levels based on program.
• Reflect rigorous community engagement.
• Address highway travel in all its forms.
• Develop performance-based standards for evaluating future investments.

Helping our partners

• Describe the effects of underfunding preservation and maintenance.
• Share WSDOT agency policy and direction.
• Use a common language for communicating priorities and strategies.
• Plan investments that fit within our expected income and show how we can grow within our means.

The analysis in the HSP will help WSDOT set performance expectations and guide recommendations for program investment levels. Once the plan is complete, WSDOT will work with regional transportation planning organizations to select specific investments.

WSDOT is incorporating equity throughout the Highway System Plan development process. Learn more from our HSP Equity Approach (PDF 879 KB) summary.

WSDOT is engaging the community through all steps of the plan's development.

The HSP update will be available in 2023.