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Contacts for this page: Sandy Salisbury
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The Roadside & Site Development Unit, within the headquarters Design Office, is staffed by landscape architects and other professionals. It serves a statewide policy function developing Standard Plans, Standard Specifications, and manuals, including the Roadside Classification Plan and the Roadside Manual. |
Wise Water Use |
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Our office serves as a roadside technology transfer center; sharing information with WSDOT regional offices and the public on technologies such as soil bioengineering, revegetation, soils, and permanent erosion control, and providing assistance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) design guidelines. We offer project planning, visual impact assessment, site design, grading, construction inspection, plant establishment services, and training to WSDOT regional personnel. |
Development of the Roadside Classification Plan (RCP) began in 1990 with
a
review of state roadside policies and procedures by the Washington State
Department
of Transportation (WSDOT) Landscape/Roadside Reorganization Task
Force. The Task Force recommended the development of clear policies and
guidelines, and the coordination of planning, design, construction, and
maintenance
activities. The RCP provides those roadside policies and guidelines in
coordination with the Transportation Policy Plan for Washington State,
the Statewide
Multimodal Transportation Plan, and Federal Highway Administration
policies.
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Roadside Classification
Plan |
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Roadside Classification
Plan |
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Washington State Map |
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Puget Sound Map |
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Design
Decisions Summary - Roadside Restoration Box Worksheet |
Files in pdf format can be viewed using Acrobat Reader. Free Acrobat Reader software can be downloaded at: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html
The Roadside Manual is available in pdf format. It can be viewed using Acrobat Reader, which can be downloaded free of charge from: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html
The purpose of the Roadside Manual is to:
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Coordinate and establish a convenient, accessible location for guidelines related to roadside management, including planning, design, construction, and maintenance. |
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Provide a link between all WSDOT partners responsible for stewardship of state roadsides; promote understanding of the many customers and suppliers involved in fulfilling roadside functions; and establish a common basis for consistent roadside management decisions statewide. |
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Supplement statewide roadside guidelines established in the Roadside Classification Plan. |
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Promote coordination between disciplines for roadside management activities. |
Users: WSDOT Roadside Partners:
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Headquarters provides services and sets policy; regions deliver programs |
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WSDOT Roadside Partners - Planning, Design, Construction, Maintenance |
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External Customers: Cities, Counties, Tribes, Park Service, Forest Service |
The Roadside and Site Development Unit consults with region design offices on roadside-related construction projects. We develop and review Standard Specifications, General Special Provisions (GSPs) and special provisions, standard details, and other construction-related documents.
In addition, we assist construction offices with inspections of roadside construction projects.
Amendments and General Special Provisions (GSPs)
WSDOT is committed to making all our facilities accessible to all persons, regardless of abilities. Below are some useful resources.
Features Table of Federal Guidance
Institute of Transportation Engineers Special Report - Accessible Public Rights-Of-Way Planning and Designing for Alterations. Contains guidelines and case studies on ADA standards for public rights-of-way. http://ite.org/accessible/PROWAAC/PROWAAC_SpecialReport.pdf
US Department of Justice ADA Home Page
Accessible Sidewalks is a four-part video developed by the Board to illustrate issues and considerations in the design of sidewalks. The series covers access for pedestrians with mobility impairments, including those who use wheelchairs, and pedestrians who are blind or have low vision.
Our office developed Standard Plan F-3 to comply with state and federal ADA laws. These standards deal with pedestrian facilities, such as curb cuts, driveways, and parking facilities. The Design Manual has been updated to reflect the current laws.
WSDOT F-3 series of Standard Plans for sidewalks and curb ramps meet all current ADA requirements. They are available as pdf, MicroStation, and AutoCAD files through the following links:
| F-40.10-00 | Sidewalk Ramp type 1, with Layouts |
| F-40.12-00 | Sidewalk Ramp Types 2, with Layout |
| F-40.14-00 | Sidewalk Ramp Types 3A, with Layout |
| F-40.15-00 | Sidewalk Ramp Types 3B, with Layout |
| F-40.16-00 | Sidewalk Ramp Type 4A, with Layout |
| F-40.18-00 | Sidewalk Ramp Type 4B, with Layout |
ADA Sidewalk
Ramp Inventory Sheet
This sheet can be used to inventory and document sidewalk ramps within
projects and to assist the designer in determinging if the ramps meet
current standards.
Addressing ADA Accessible Facilities on Road, Street, and Highway Projects, Design Manual Supplement
United States
Access Board
A federal agency committed to accessible design.
Shared
Use Paths
Design information on shared use paths.
If you have any questions concerning ADA and your project, please contact:
Sally Anderson
Roadside and Site Development Manager
PO Box 47329
Olympia, WA 98504-7329
(360) 705-7242
Fax: (360) 705-6815
E-mail: anderss@wsdot.wa.gov
Chapter 810 of the Roadside Manual
Chapter 810 of the Roadside Manual contains guidelines that provide the background for the development of effective vegetation restoration methodologies. Two basic restoration approaches are used: managed succession and accelerated climax community development. They are based on the principles of plant succession in natural ecosystems.
Map of Washington
State Ecoregions
It is the policy of WSDOT to use native plants. This map is an aid in
determining what is considered native, and may be used to help in specifying
and obtaining plant materials.
Ecoregions denote areas within which ecosystems (the type, quality, and quantity of environmental conditions) are generally similar. The approach used to compile this map is based on the premise that ecological regions can be identified through the analysis of the patterns and the composition of biotic and abiotic phenomena that affect or reflect differences in ecosystem quality and integrity (Wiken 1986; Omernik 1987, 1995). These phenomena include geology, physiography, vegetation, climate, soils, land use, wildlife, and hydrology. The relative importance of each characteristic varies from one ecological region to another regardless of the hierarchical level. (http://www.epa.gov/wed/pages/ecoregions/level_iii.htm)
The map of Washington State Ecoregions is derived from Omernik, J.M. 1987. Ecoregions of the conterminous United States Map (scale 1:7,500,000). Annals of the Association of American Geographers 77(1):118-125.
Neighbors and businesses adjacent to WSDOT right-of-way often request to alter, remove, or even plant trees, shrubs, and plants on WSDOT property. WSDOT works with others to plant on our property; however, WSDOT policies do not support requests for removal or alteration of vegetation. There may be rare exceptions that vegetation alteration may be allowed if it is mutually beneficial to the goals of the transportation facility. The following documents list the policies and procedures to evaluate these requests.
Visual Impact Assessment for Highway Projects,
FHWA Publication No. FHWA-HI-88-054
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.
Files in pdf format can be viewed using Acrobat Reader. Free Acrobat Reader software can be downloaded at: http://www.adobe.com/acrobat/
The following links will access a checklist and matrices for use with Visual Impact Assessments on Federal Highway Administration highway projects.
Visual
Quality Discipline Report Environmental Checklist
Visual Quality - Matrices and Table
This is an MS Excel file.
Visual
Quality Assessment - Concepts and Examples
PowerPoint presentation in pdf format.
For more information or to obtain copies of these forms in a different format, contact:
Sally Anderson
Roadside and Site Development Manager
PO Box 47329
Olympia, WA 98504-7329
(360) 705-7242
Fax: (360) 705-6815
E-mail: anderss@wsdot.wa.gov
Several common route alignment alternatives, as well as a no-build alternative (existing conditions), were analyzed for the I-90 Snoqualmie Pass East Visual Impact Assessment study.
The project proposes increasing traveler safety by flattening curves, avoiding rockfall areas, and providing an additional lane in each direction on I-90 between milepost (MP) 55.10 and MP 70.30.
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Interstate
90 - Snoqualmie Pass East For more information on Visual Impact Assessment,
contact: |
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At the request of the local byway community, WSDOT undertook a scenic assessment of the proposed Palouse Country Scenic Byway in August 2002. This was the first request for a byway that contains more than one roadway. This hub and spoke system of scenic routes traverses the Palouse region of Whitman County. This report was provided to the Scenic Byway Designation Committee, which recommended the route's designation as a State Scenic Byway to the Transportation Committee. In December 2002, the Transportation Committee designated these routes as a State Scenic Byway.
Palouse Scenic Byway Application
Visual Analysis Discipline Report
For more information on Scenic Byways, contact Carrie Sunstrom.
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The Wetland Mitigation Standards of Success Study is a project of the Roadside and Site Development Unit of the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT). It is designed to identify scientifically-based benchmarks for establishing vegetation success standards on wetland compensatory mitigation projects. Until now there has been little research done on longer-term ecological development of mitigation sites, or on how natural wetlands recover from disturbances. As a result, there was no data available on which to base ecologically viable success standards. This resulted in project proponents having to use their "best professional judgment" in setting performance goals.
Phase One of this study was completed in October 1999. It included a literature review of plant succession in Pacific Northwest wetlands, identification of potential study sites, a pilot study, and a recommended work plan for Phase Two.
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Phase One Report (pdf format) |
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Annotated Bibliography (pdf format) of research on wetland ecology and success standards in wetland mitigation |
Phase Two of this study surveyed and documented structural characteristics of vegetation within forested and scrub-shrub zones of wetland mitigation sites 6-11 years old. Each site was freshwater, located within the Puget Trough of Washington, and contained established stands of woody vegetation. Quantitative data were recorded on cover and density of woody vegetation, as well as cover of reed canarygrass. Additional qualitative observations included hydrology indicators and hydrogeomorphic settings, soils, herbaceous vegetation, and surrounding land use. Through this data, benchmarks for performance standards were proposed for forested and scrub-shrub components of wetland mitigation projects.
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Phase Two Report (pdf format) |
The study was funded by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and WSDOT.
WSDOT Standard Concrete Finishes for Bridge & Structure Construction in Highway Projects using premanufactured form liners.
The Urban Design Alternatives brochure gives some examples of different configurations for urban roadways and roadsides.
The Urban Roadway Design web page has more information on this subject.
Roadside Funding Matrix for WSDOT Capital Projects..
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Urban Forestry
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Plants
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Environment/Ecology
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Weeds
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Soil Information
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Weather
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Agencies
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Contacts for this page:
Sally Anderson
(360) 705-7242
anderss@wsdot.wa.gov
Sandy Salisbury
(360) 705-7245
SalisbS@wsdot.wa.gov
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| Copyright WSDOT © 2002 |
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