(1) Roads. The Clallam County road system consists of urban arterials and urban collectors, minor arterials, major and minor collectors, and rural roads. Roads approaching capacity deficiency are occurring along “rural roads” which no longer carry rural traffic counts. Substandard roads are prevalent in heavily short platted areas of the County. Points of congestion are typical at intersections entering and leaving Sequim and east of Port Angeles along State Highway 101. Clallam County transportation planning in conjunction with the Peninsula Regional Transportation Planning Organization has developed a gauge of reference to monitor and describe the deficiencies of roads. This “level of service” will indicate when a road or intersection has reached its threshold of performance.

The Clallam County Road Department maintains 487.32 miles of County road. Maintenance of the road system is aided by the implementation of a new pavement management system which involves videotaping the County roads. An up-to-date inventory of the County roads has been completed which logs the visual condition of roads and systematically records road characteristics in the computerized County Road Information System (CRIS). Road improvement programming and transportation planning is supported by the CRIS.

The federal financing of roads has changed dramatically with the passage of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991, or ISTEA (pronounced “ice tea”). With this new federal assistance comes a new emphasis in planning for the entire transportation system, not just roadway components. Traditional roadway programs must be viewed as just one of many ways in which transportation deficiencies are handled. The classification of roads for service function becomes important when administering ISTEA. A road classified as rural will not compete nation-wide for financing as will an arterial road. Complex highway financing mechanisms will lead elected officials and planners to search for other means of meeting transportation needs such as bicycle and pedestrian facilities, carpools and vanpools, and public transportation.

(2) Port, Marine Terminals and Moorage. The Port of Port Angeles was created in 1922 and began operations shortly thereafter. Currently, the Port provides various transportation related facilities which include marine terminals, industrial districts and airports. The Port Angeles Harbor is the westernmost natural deepwater harbor in the Puget Sound which requires no dredging. The Port currently owns and operates two deep-water terminals with a total capacity of five vessels. The Port Angeles Boat Haven covers 16.1 acres on the south shore of the Port Angeles Harbor. Moorage space accommodates 563 commercial and recreational vessels. The marina provides 244 permanent moorage slips, plus 22 transient slips, and has an ultimate capacity of 355 slips.

The John Wayne Marina is located at Pitship Point on Sequim Bay. The marina lies within an area recently annexed to the City of Sequim. The marina provides 244 permanent moorage slips, plus 22 transient slips, and has an ultimate capacity of 355 slips. The facilities include water, electricity, fuel, a boat launch, a public service building, and recreational access.

Additional marina and moorage facilities are found in Sekiu, Neah Bay, and LaPush. These facilities provide moorage for commercial and recreational fishing, charters, and may provide greater opportunities for cruise boats, etc.

(3) Ferries. Black Ball Transport has provided ferry service between Victoria, B.C. and Port Angeles since 1959. The ferry, M.V. Coho, has capacity for 130 passenger vehicles on board and the ridership in 1993 carried 138,407 vehicles. The number of crossings per day varies with the season. The winter schedule is limited to one round-trip crossing, whereas the summer tourist season demands four round trips per day. The Coho accommodates over 550,000 passengers per year and transports 4,000 bicyclists. The trip crosses the Strait of Juan de Fuca in one hour and 35 minutes.

The Victoria Express is a walk-on passenger-only service and can traverse the strait in 55 minutes. The newly remodeled vessel can seat 148 passengers. Reservations are taken for the four daily round trips in the summer season and for the two round trips during May 15th – June 19th and September 8th – October 12th.

(4) Airports. There are five public use general aviation airports in Clallam County, shown on Figure 31.02.415(A) and described in subsections (4)(a) through (f) of this section, as well as 10 privately owned private use airports and three private use heliports listed in subsection (4)(g) of this section.

(g) Clallam County’s privately owned private use airports include Lawson Airpark Airport, Thompson Airport, Big Andy Airport, Blue Ribbon Airport, Swanton Ultralight Flightpark, Grand View International Airport, Rake’s Glen Airport, Harbord Field Airport, and Diamond Point Airport. Clallam County’s privately owned private use heliports include Eclipse Heliport and Thompson Heliport. Permission is required for landing at these airports and landing fees and/or other fees may apply. Heliport use is limited to hospital operations at Olympic Memorial Hospital Heliport. Runway use is limited to Coast Guard operations at the Port Angeles Coast Guard Air Station.

(5) Transit. The Clallam Transit System provides complete bus service throughout Port Angeles and to destinations such as Forks, Clallam Bay, LaPush, Neah Bay and Diamond Point. The fixed-route service consists of 14 scheduled routes. These routes are broken into 3 service categories: intercity, urban, and rural. The “Bus” makes intercity connections in Sequim with Jefferson Transit for transportation to Port Townsend and other points in Jefferson County. Highway 101 commuter routes are available between Port Angeles and Sequim. Service standards apply to the three categories of routes based on performance. The performance indicators are used to show ridership trends or quality of ride. The physical and mentally handicapped and 80+ senior citizens have doorstep service available to them via Paratransit. People not capable of using Clallam Transit regular service can call a day in advance for Paratransit door-to-door travel. The Paratransit service is provided by two private, nonprofit corporations on contract with Clallam Transit System.

Olympic National Park has worked in cooperation with Clallam Transit System on a pilot project to provide public transportation to Hurricane Ridge. The project was a huge success since bus service from Port Angeles Visitor Center to Hurricane Ridge Lodge was scheduled on a February holiday weekend. Parking lot congestion at Hurricane Ridge was alleviated and safety conditions along the route were improved. The Olympic National Park and Clallam Transit desire to provide similar transit service in the future. The Park’s most recent concession, The Paddlewheeler, allows the ferry boat users to take a bus shuttle from outside the Olympic National Park boundary to the Lake Crescent boat launch. This transportation service removes unnecessary vehicle trips along a deficient road segment of SR 101 and eliminates the need for parking.

Clallam County has three park-and-ride lots operating and serving the public in the west portion of the County. Sappho, Forks and Laird’s Corner park-and-ride lots are served by Clallam Transit System routes 14, 15 and 16. Other park-and-ride lots to the west of Port Angeles have been abandoned. The park-and-ride lot experiencing the highest degree of success is at Forks. It was developed in cooperation with the State Department of Transportation, the city of Forks and Clallam Transit System. It serves residents in the Forks area who commute to LaPush, Clallam Bay and Neah Bay. A vanpool is also operating from Clallam Bay serving the employees of Clallam Bay Correction Center.

Clallam Transit System is installing bicycle racks on buses and also at stationary locations. The Bicycle Access Program makes linkages with Jefferson Transit System which already has the equipment installed. Recreational bicyclists have the option to become transit riders and lengthen journeys.

(6) Non-Motorized Transportation. Numerous trails are present in the Olympic National Park system and some provide connections with the Clallam County transportation system. A unique trail to the Olympic National Park is the Spruce Railroad Trail. Formerly a railroad right-of-way, it runs along the north shore of Lake Crescent. Trailheads are located near the Log Cabin Resort on East Beach Road and Highway 101 at Sol Duc Hot Springs Road. The trail is used by pedestrians, horseback riders, and bicyclists.

The Olympic Discovery Trail is a year-around, lowland corridor for non-motorized (pedestrian, equestrian, bicycle) transportation. Its 145-mile length, utilizing significant segments of the abandoned right-of-way of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad line, will connect the population centers of the North Olympic Peninsula from Puget Sound to the Pacific Coast as shown in Figure 31.02.415(B). The trail is a scenic, easily accessible and safe alternative route for commuters and recreationists. It includes a “touring” route for commuting and traveling cyclists and a western County Cross County Foothills Trail for the off-road enthusiast. The County should work closely with each of the connecting municipalities to ensure that the respective trails and feeder connections are clearly signed and fully accessible.