Thirty ideas were initially identified with the help of a Technical Advisory Committee and Executive Committee made up of engineers, planners and leadership from the City of Vancouver, Clark County, Southwest Washington Regional Transportation Council, and C-TRAN.

Based on community values expressed in two online surveys, stakeholder conversations, and screening the ideas to address safety issues cost effectively, the ideas were narrowed down to three concepts. With input from the community, agency partners, area schools, businesses and emergency services, WSDOT selected the Right In, Right Out concept to improve safety along SR 500 in Vancouver. Emergency service providers and the public were most supportive of the Right In, Right Out concept, because it balances significant safety improvements to SR 500, while maintaining some connectivity to SR 500 from local streets.

Due to the persistent safety need, internal funding has been secured to provide immediate safety improvements as soon as this fall. These improvements will include removing the traffic lights at both intersections, installing barrier in the middle of the highway, restriping the roadway to extend merging lanes, and reconfiguring both intersections to safely direct traffic on and off SR 500.

Designing and constructing a new grade-separated crossing at Northeast 54th Avenue/Northeast Stapleton Road is more complex and will take longer to implement.

Right In/Right Out Overview

• Removes traffic lights on SR 500 at Northeast Falk Road/Northeast 42nd Avenue and Northeast Stapleton Road/Northeast 54th Avenue
• Extends median barrier through both intersections to enforce the turn restrictions and extends merge lanes
• Limits access to right turns off SR 500 and right turns onto SR 500 at these intersections
• Creates uninterrupted flow on SR 500 from I-5 to Fourth Plain Boulevard
• Creates new local travel patterns with a few more or a few less vehicles a minute on nearby streets including Fourth Plain Boulevard, NE St. Johns Road, NE Andresen Road, NE 40th St and NE 44th St.
• Installs new grade-separated pedestrian and bicycle crossing of SR 500 at Northeast Stapleton Road/Northeast 54th Avenue

Implementation may occur in steps over time.

What Will the Concept Do?

Safety

• Predicted to reduce crashes by up to 70% by removing traffic lights and the back-ups they cause

Improved Travel Times

• Predicted to reduce SR 500 traffic delays by up to 100 percent

​Access to SR 500

• Maintains access to and from SR 500 via right turns
• Assumes drivers will use Northeast St. Johns Road or Northeast Andresen Road or turn right onto SR 500 and turn around at one of these interchanges to cross or go the other direction on SR 500
• Prohibits drivers from turning left onto or off of SR 500, as well as crossing the highway at the intersections

Cost Estimate 

• $6 million

Public input

SR 500 Safety Study Concept Input Report (pdf 75 kb)

Contact

Your feedback is important

Please email or call us at 360-905-2076 with questions or comments about this safety study.