The Design Policy, Standards, and Research team is part of the WSDOT Design Office, providing policy guidance and technical support to WSDOT headquarters and regional offices, for development of transportation projects. We also provide technical support to other state and local agencies.

Primary Responsibilities
The Design Policy, Standards, and Research team has primary responsibility for the following:

• Maintain and update the WSDOT Design Manual.
• Maintain and update the WSDOT Standard Plans for Road, Bridge, and Municipal Construction.
• Conduct supporting research to facilitate decisions for design policy and standards.
• Conduct research for system performance measurement, with an emphasis on highway safety.

Technical Assistance
The Design Policy, Standards, & Research team offers technical assistance to WSDOT and other offices for the following:

• Geometric design.
• Use of roadside safety hardware.
• General guidance in using the Design Manual in Project Development efforts
• General guidance in using the Standard Plans in Project Development efforts
• Performance measurement for safety countermeasure to regions and project control office