During a Feb. 18 presentation, engineers from Kittelson and Associates, a consultant firm, provided new insights into the ongoing planning and evaluation of Woodland’s Exit 21 improvement project.
The Exit 21 project, aimed at reducing congestion at Woodland’s main interchange, has been in development for several years. The City of Woodland secured $2.6 million in grant funding from Cowlitz County to support the preconstruction phase. The total project cost remains under evaluation, but construction is tentatively scheduled to begin in 2028 pending environmental and design approvals.
During the meeting, Kittelson and Associates Engineer Anthony Yi said the team has completed key elements required by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), including a non-access feasibility study and an intersection control evaluation.
One of the major updates involved the project’s safety analysis, which has been revised using the most recent crash data provided by WSDOT. Engineers will use the data to improve the project design.
“We revised the safety analysis using more relevant crash data that WSDOT provided us,” Yi said. “The study that we had provided a few years ago is now outdated, so we worked with WSDOT to get the latest and greatest crash data to refresh the safety analysis.”
The project team also discussed updates based on newly gathered topographic survey data. Yi emphasized that more accurate mapping of the area has allowed for a better assessment of roadway impacts and potential design changes.
Despite this, a significant factor affecting the project’s timeline is the requirement for an assessment to evaluate potential environmental impacts. This has delayed the project from 2026 construction to an expected 2028 starting date.
“We still have to do the biological assessment at this point for the project, and that’s going to really affect our schedule,” Kittelson and Associates Engineer Darren Hippenstiel said.
Councilmember Gabe Huston questioned if road ownership could be transferred from the state to the city to bypass some of the bureaucratic hurdles slowing the project.
Hippenstiel explained that such a transfer would be highly unlikely due to its connection to I-5.
“That would be a hard press through WSDOT,” Hippenstiel said. “They would be very limited on availability to release WSDOT right-of-way through there to release it back to the city.”
During the presentation, the team affirmed a set of roundabouts are the current preferred alternative to improving traffic safety and congestion. Mayor Todd Dinehart asked for clarification on why roundabouts were being recommended over traffic signals.
“At the end of the day, what the roundabout provides is just even the approach geometry,” Yi said. “The geometry … itself helps drivers slow down as you get closer into the roundabout, and then as the drivers are also entering the roundabout at slower speeds, typically there’s also less conflict points.”
Yi added that roundabouts reduce the likelihood of high-speed collisions compared to traffic signals, where red-light running and higher-speed movements can result in more severe crashes.
Hippenstiel provided additional details on the evolving design, specifically addressing potential adjustments to accommodate pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure.
“One thing that doesn’t show up on this map that we’ll also be looking at is a shared-use path on both sides of the connection under the freeway,” Hippenstiel said. “This is in coordination with WSDOT based on updated design standards.”
