Washington State All-Weather Road GIS Mapping: Improving Statewide Freight Flows and Connectivity

Abstract

Freight transportation is extremely important in Washington because it underpins the national and state economies and it supports national defense and also facilitates the distribution of goods and services to nearly all state residents on a daily basis. Because of this, the freight transportation system in Washington must function at all levels of government from international, national, to state and local. Internationally, Washington is a “gateway” state connecting Asian & Canadian trade flows to the U.S. economy. Nationally, Washington's freight system facilitates trade from Alaska and along the west coast. Additionally, the state's firms and farmers use the freight transportation system to ship Washington made goods locally, across the country and around the world. And lastly, Washington's freight transportation system serves as a local utility, vital to citizens throughout the state to meet their consumption needs. As a result, the planning of freight improvement projects should be seamless across various government jurisdictions and county/state boundaries. In order to understand the need for the coordinated collection and presentation of data, the reader needs only consider the various types of roads that contribute to the freight transportation system in Washington. Not only does the state host international border crossings and interstate highways, it is comprised of a myriad of county and city roads. As a result, there are several key agencies that have a stake in freight transportation planning in Washington: Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), County Road Administration Board (CRAB), Strategic Freight Transportation Analysis (SFTA) as well as the county and municipal governments. In the process of completing this study, it was necessary to contact each of these agencies for assistance in the collection of data and maps. To assist planners and policymakers at all levels of government, this paper describes the statistical and geospatial data collected from each county in Washington State and the analytical application of a complete geographic information system (GIS) mapping of all-weather roads throughout the state, along with future county freight improvement projects. This information is then evaluated and analyzed on a regional/statewide basis to identify gaps or system inefficiencies resulting from local/county improvement projects that don’t extend across county borders. Specific county and regional case studies/examples of how this centralized GIS may aid policy decision-maker are also presented.