WSDOT - Roadside Design - Visual Impacts

A Visual Impacts Analysis must be completed for all projects that change the roadside character, including changes in:

Horizontal or vertical road alignment
Expansion of the roadway
New intersections or interchanges
Ferry terminal improvements
Increased lighting
Removal of considerable vegetation. This will vary by location. Consult with the Region Landscape Architect or HQ Roadside and Site Development office for Regions without a Landscape Architect.

The methodology for visual impact assessments can be found within:

Visual Impact Assessment for Highway Projects, FHWA Publication No. FHWA-HI-88-054 (pdf 3.6 mb)

This field guide, which is now out of print, is available here in pdf format. It is intended to help individuals who prepare or review the coverage of visual impacts in environmental assessments or environmental impact statements for highway projects.

The following links will access a checklist and matrices for use with Visual Impact Assessments.

Visual Impacts chapter in the Environmental Procedures Manual. This chapter describes the requirements for a visual discipline report.
Visual Quality Discipline Report Environmental Checklist
Visual Quality - Matrices and Table (xls 603 kb)
The attached tables are to be used for the quantitative assessment of the visual quality study. An example is provided and the blank sheet may be formatted to fit each project.
Visual Quality Assessment - Concepts and Examples (pdf 13.2 mb) PowerPoint presentation in pdf format.