SENATE BILL REPORT
HB 2318
As Passed Senate, February 29, 2024
Title: An act relating to state route number 501.
Brief Description: Concerning state route number 501.
Sponsors: Representatives Orcutt, Wylie, Cheney and Abbarno.
Brief History: Passed House: 2/8/24, 96-0.
Committee Activity: Transportation: 2/20/24, 2/22/24 [DP].
Floor Activity: Passed Senate: 2/29/24, 48-0.
Brief Summary of Bill
  • Removes the three-mile section of State Route 501 within the city limits of Ridgefield from the state highway system.
SENATE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION
Majority Report: Do pass.
Signed by Senators Liias, Chair; Lovick, Vice Chair; Shewmake, Vice Chair; King, Ranking Member; Holy, Assistant Ranking Member; Cleveland, Fortunato, Hansen, Hawkins, Kauffman, Lovelett, MacEwen, Nobles, Padden, Valdez, Wilson, C. and Wilson, J..
Staff: Megan Tudor (786-7478)
Background:

Washington State's highways are designated by the Legislature and codified in Chapter 47.17 RCW. State Route 501 (SR 501) is a 14-mile route in Clark County located in southwest Washington. SR 501 is split into two sections;  a three-mile northern section running east-west through the City of Ridgefield from Pioneer Street to Interstate-5 (I-5) and an 11-mile southern section beginning at the interchange of I-5 near downtown Vancouver and ending south of Post Office Lake in the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge. The southern section is designated as the Erwin O. Rieger Memorial Highway.
Summary of Bill:

The thee-mile section of SR 501 between mile posts 16.91 to 19.88 is transferred to the City of Ridgefield, removing it from the state highway system. The 11-mile southern section of SR 501, known as the Erwin O Rieger Memorial Highway remains in the state highway system.
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Available.
Creates Committee/Commission/Task Force that includes Legislative members: No.
Effective Date: Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.
Staff Summary of Public Testimony:

PRO: The northern 3-mile segment of SR 501 is entirely in the limits of the City of Ridgefield. In the last 10 years, the city has been developing rapidly and more than $30 million has been spent on projects this year to create necessary capacity in multimodal connections. Anytime the city wants to do anything to create or improve access to SR 501, they have to go through an extra process. If the city took over the responsibility of  this segment of SR 501, it will save state and local tax payer money and improvements could be completed quicker. The city acknowledges taking on expenses including $2.5 million in deferred maintenance work as well as ongoing pavement preservation work.

 

The City of Ridgefield submitted a jurisdiction transfer request in January 2023 for SR 501 to the Transportation Commission. The Commission issued preliminary findings in June 2023 based on the independent analysis performed by the Transportation Improvement Board. Based on technical review and public comment, the Commission issued final findings and determined SR 501 did not meet requirements of an urban highway and could therefore be reclassified as a city street.

 

The City of Ridgefield has separately submitted a request for $3.5 million in funding to the capital and transportation budgets to address the ongoing issue of landslides into critical watershed along this route.
Persons Testifying: PRO: Representative Ed Orcutt, Prime Sponsor; Reema Griffith, Wash. State Transportation Commission; Steve Stuart, City Manager, Ridgefield.
Persons Signed In To Testify But Not Testifying: No one.