Highway System Plan guidance for planning studies

The 2024 Highway System Plan (HSP) provides recommendations for future investments for interstate, U.S. routes, and state routes over the next 20 years. 

Highway System Plan vision

The Highway System Plan was developed with the support of advisory, steering and internal alignment committees. Members of those committees provided professional expertise and knowledge of industry best practices. These groups provided the aspirational vision statements for the future of state highways covering:

• Financially sustainable. Highway assets will be proactively maintained and preserved to achieve and sustain a state of good repair and operation.
• Safe. There will be zero fatal and serious injury crashes on Washington highways.
• Equitable. Transportation policies and investments will effectively respond to the needs of historically underserved and overburdened communities, resulting in the equitable improvement of all types of transportation infrastructure and services and the reduction of environmental health disparities.
• Integrated. To ensure transportation strategies are integrated across agencies and modes, and the system operates seamlessly across boundaries, proposals for new highway investments will be informed by:
  • Engagement with the public.
  • Consultation with local governments and tribes.
  • Prioritization through applicable metropolitan or regional planning processes.
  • Coordination with the state ferry system and other transportation service providers.
• Multimodal. Pedestrians, bicyclists, ferry users and transit riders of all ages and abilities, as well as motorists and freight transporters, will have improved access along and across highways.
• Environmentally sustainable. Transportation policies and investments will result in traveling lower per capita vehicle miles, reduced emissions, improved health, long-term resilience and increased fish habitat.

How does your plan or study align with this vision? For more details on the vision see page 9-10 of the HSP and include these connections in your work.

Highway System Plan recommendations

Recommendations of planning studies, not including predesign components, should consider:

• The financially realistic investments in the HSP for new Mobility and Economic Vitality capital improvement projects is $1.4 billion. That figure applies to a period of 20 years for the entire state. How do the recommendations in the planning study align with that fiscal constraint? (Consider regional priority if there are multiple studies or plans in that area.)
• How has the planning study described the Highway System Plan priorities for critical programs and to “fix it first”?
• How has the planning study described alternate solutions or complimentary effects of programmatic investments in Safety (I2), Environmental (I4), Public Transportation (V), Active Transportation (Q), compared to the role of Mobility and Economic Vitality investments in meeting system needs? 

Maintaining and preserving current investments

Planning studies should address that future system performance is dependent on maintaining the current system and that performance outcomes associated with recommendations, scenarios, or alternatives are dependent on capital preservation and operations maintenance of current infrastructure. 

Using a “fix it first” approach, planning studies should address current facilities and projections of future conditions or asset life cycles during the studies time horizon. Refer to Chapter 4, Attachment B of the SR 167 Master Plan (PDF 8.3MB) as an example.

Additional planning guidance is available on the Maintenance and Priority Programming pages.

Consider the following topics when addressing highway facilities. WSDOT GIS data are provided in the links, if available:

• Pavement
• Bridges
• Major Electrical Systems and ITS
• Major Drainage and Stormwater
• Noise Walls
• Rest Areas
• Weigh Stations
• Maintenance Facilities

The Thurston County Regional Planning Council’s Regional Transportation Plan provides a good example of analysis of a regional or corridor level assessment of the transportation system in their Chapter 4, WSDOT Facilities (PDF 3.4MB).

Vehicle miles traveled (VMT) reduction

WSDOT addresses Growth Management Act and statewide goals on VMT reduction by using planning studies to evaluate how land use, access, safety, and transportation investment decisions influence travel demand. Consistent with the Highway System Plan’s environmental sustainability vision, studies should identify practical strategies and the necessary implementation that reduce per capita VMT, such as shorter trips, expanded travel choices, safer access to daily needs, and improved system efficiency. This supports WSDOT’s Safe System Approach and Safer Land Use frameworks by recognizing that growth patterns shape travel exposure, safety outcomes, emissions, and long-term transportation needs.

Planning studies should consult regional or local plans for strategies to reduce VMT.  The following are some examples of regional and local planning documents:

• Spokane Regional Transportation Council VMT Reduction Framework
• Thurston Climate Mitigation Plan
• Sustainable Bellevue Plan 
• Burien Climate Change and Resiliency Plan

Additional recommended strategies from the Washington Department of Commerce outlined in "Driving Down Vehicle Miles Traveled in Washington" may also be considered.

For more information on the HSP or tools to support engagements and study analysis contact hsp@wsdot.wa.gov.

Performance-based criteria

Decisions on comparing investments in the future may be informed by the Performance-based project evaluation model, using Washington state’s six transportation policy goals and scoring criteria.

Consider using similar performance measures and evaluation criteria found in Performance framework, when possible.  This will improve the ability of projects recommended by the planning study to maximize scoring in the model and increase likelihood of projects being recommended for funding.