HB 1605, sponsored by Rep. Chris Corry (R–Yakima), creates a vehicle lane departure program intended to improve road safety and support “small cities or town roads in rural areas” that see a high level of serious injuries or fatalities due to lane departures. Funding under the program may be used to make improvements in roadways including but not limited to:

• Widen roadway shoulders or modify roadway design to improve visibility;
• Improve markings and paint on roadways;
• Apply high friction surface treatments; and
• Install rumble strips, signage, lighting, raised barriers, medians, guardrails.

During the first five years of the program, the Department of Transportation must track incidents of lane departures at locations of new infrastructure and evaluate the effectiveness of the safety improvements.

As currently drafted, the bill states that funding originally intended for the Highway Safety Fund would be redirected and applied to the Multimodal Transportation Account and the State Patrol Highway Account. However, there is no clear indication to what level the transfer would reach.

Date to remember

HB 1605 is scheduled for public hearing in the House Transportation committee on January 17 at 3:30 pm.