HOUSE BILL REPORT

HB 2753

BYRepresentatives Prince, Nealey, Dellwo and Hankins

Rerouting state route number 128 through Red Wolf Crossing.

House Committe on Transportation

Majority Report:  Do pass.  (21)

      Signed by Representatives R. Fisher, Chair; Baugher, Vice Chair, Eastern Washington; R. Meyers, Vice Chair, Western Washington; Schmidt, Ranking Republican Member; Bennett, Betrozoff, Cooper, Day, G. Fisher, Forner, Hankins, Heavey, Jones, Kremen, Nelson, Prentice, Prince, Smith, D. Sommers, Todd and S. Wilson.

House Staff:Judy Burns (786-7301)

AS PASSED HOUSE FEBRUARY 9, 1990

BACKGROUND:

Down River Road, a county road in Idaho, and Whitman County Road No. 1000 in Washington carry a great deal of heavy truck traffic headed to and from the port facility at Wilma, operated by the Port of Whitman County.  These roads are in the Lewiston/Clarkston area, and serve as an alternate to the more heavily traveled, heavily developed State Route 12 to the south.

Recently the Idaho Transportation Board approved adding the 2.1-mile Idaho section to the Idaho state highway system.  In order to provide route continuity, Idaho has requested that Washington likewise add the Whitman County road to its state highway system.

Under the state highway criteria developed by the Road Jurisdiction Committee, this section would qualify for state highway status because of serving the port facility.

SUMMARY:

Whitman County Road No. 1000 (1.8 miles in length) is added to the state highway system by extending State Route 128 from the junction with State Route 12 easterly to the Washington-Idaho border.

Fiscal Note:      Not Requested.

House Committee ‑ Testified For:    Jack Thompson, Manager, Port of Whitman County.

House Committee - Testified Against:      No one.

House Committee - Testimony For:    Over one million tons of products travel this route annually to reach the port of Wilma.  Thus, it qualifies as a state route under the criteria developed by the Road Jurisdiction Study.  Since the state of Idaho recently added the Idaho segment to its state highway system, the extension of SR 128 in Washington will provide the desired continuity.

House Committee - Testimony Against:      None.