Washington Administrative Code › Title 468 - Transportation, Department of (See Title 88) › Chapter 468-18 - City/county project coordination › Section 468-18-040 - Design standards for rearranged county roads, frontage roads, access roads, intersections, ramps and crossings

Current through Register Vol. 24-14, July 15, 2024
Because of the wide variety of rearranged county roads,
				frontage or access roads, intersections, ramps and crossings encountered by the
				freeway construction and relocation of other state highways, further
				understandings are desirable as to the jurisdiction and the responsibility
				between the county and state.
Following are the criteria, procedure and design standards that
				the state department of transportation shall use in the planning for frontage
				roads and access roads that counties will be requested to accept as county
				roads and the construction of rearranged county roads, intersections, ramps and
				crossings:
(1) At the early stages of
			 planning, the state and county shall review the proposed improvement and
			 determine what cooperative agreements will be needed between the state and
			 county.
(2) The proposed design
			 standards shall not be less than the current "city-county design standards"
			 located within the "
Local Agency Guideline Manual
," except
			 where an individual county shall have adopted a higher design standard, in
			 which case the higher standard shall apply.
(3) The proposed construction shall include
			 all the necessary traffic control and safety devices and be signed in
			 accordance with the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and
			 Highways, as modified and adopted by the Washington state department of
			 transportation, to protect the driving public.
(4) Unless otherwise agreed to between the
			 state and county, the responsibilities of each agency shall conform to the
			 following basic principles:
(a) Where an
			 existing county road is crossed by a state highway underpass, the state will
			 construct the underpass and necessary approaches and maintain the underpass.
The roadway to be provided for county traffic will be
				constructed by the state.
If illumination exists on the county road at the time of
				construction of the underpass, the state shall provide the necessary facilities
				for illuminating the county's portion of the road over the state highway and
				the necessary approach roadway.
If it is determined that illumination will be necessary at a
				later date and it will be necessary to place conduits in the structure, the
				state shall provide same.
The county will maintain the roadway providing for county
				traffic including traffic stripe, snow removal, sanding and illumination, if
				needed, for the county road.
(b) Where an existing county road is crossed
			 by a state highway overpass, the state will construct the structure and
			 necessary approach roadway and maintain the structure.
The county will maintain the entire roadway under the structure
				except special drainage, if needed.
The state shall provide the necessary facilities for
				illuminating the county's portion of the road under the structure and necessary
				approach roadway, unless otherwise agreed.
(c) When an existing county road is crossed
			 at grade by a new state highway, the state will assume all costs for the
			 construction including taper sections, acceleration and deceleration lanes and
			 be responsible for all maintenance to the right of way line.
Stop signs after installation shall be maintained in accordance
				with the state statutes.
The construction and maintenance of illumination will be the
				responsibility of the state.
When a new county road intersects a state highway, the
				maintenance responsibilities will be the same as outlined above. The
				construction costs shall be the responsibility of the county.
(d) Whenever, because of increased traffic,
			 heavy turning movements, accident frequency or other good cause, it becomes
			 necessary to initiate a project for the improvement of an existing intersection
			 not incidental to a construction project, the state and county will cooperate
			 in the cost of the improvement in each case by mutual agreement in accordance
			 with the following formula:
(i) Ascertain the
			 number of legs of the intersection under the existing responsibility of each
			 agency involved.
(ii) Ascertain the
			 traffic volume on each leg.
(iii)
			 Add the traffic counts on each agency's intersection legs.
(iv) The resulting percentage of the traffic
			 volume total falling to each jurisdiction should be the relative proportion of
			 the improvement's cost to be borne by each agency: Provided, That in no case
			 shall the county's share of the total cost of the improvement exceed fifty
			 percent of that cost.
The maintenance responsibilities will be the same as outlined
				above in subparagraph (c) of this subsection.
(e) When an interchange is constructed at an
			 intersection of a state highway and county road, the ramps, structure and
			 crossroad within the interchange area shall be maintained and reconstructed, if
			 necessary, by the state. Illumination, if required, shall be constructed by the
			 state and that portion located on state right of way maintained by the state or
			 as otherwise agreed.
Traffic signals on state right of way, if required at ramp
				terminals, shall be constructed, operated and maintained by the state.
(f) Where it is necessary to
			 relocate an existing county road, the state will construct the road and the
			 county will maintain the road.
(g)
			 If a county road or street is dead-ended, the state will construct a cul-de-sac
			 to the county standards.
(h) When
			 it is necessary for the state to construct service roads, landlock prevention
			 roads or dead-end roads, which may be desirable in lieu of damages to property,
			 the provisions of
			 RCW
			  47.52.105 shall be the guide.
All roads under this subsection shall be the state's
				responsibility unless otherwise agreed to between the state and county.
(i) Upon completion of the
			 construction of each rearranged county road, frontage road, access road,
			 intersection or crossing for which an agreement has been entered into between
			 the state and county, an inspection by the state and county road engineer shall
			 be made to determine that all the requirements of the agreement have been
			 fulfilled. Upon fulfillment of the agreement, the state shall notify the county
			 in writing and the county shall assume the responsibilities as set forth in
			 said agreement.