City of Blaine Interstate-5 Interchange Access Point Decision Report
Interstate 5 passes through the City of Blaine, Washington, and terminates at the U.S. - Canada border. This project looked at the interchanges in Blaine and improvements required to provide adequate access to this community in the future.
This project completed an Access Point Decision Report (APDR) to analyze the potential impact of the Peace Arch facility expansion planned by U.S. General Services Administration adjacent to the northern interchange (Exit 276). The report also looked at the existing partial southern interchange (Exit 274) and considered approaches to making this a full interchange for improved access. Both interchange revisions considered how impacts at the border may affect future access to Blaine.
The project team consisted of representatives from the City of Blaine, U.S. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), WA State Department of Transportation, and the Whatcom Council of Governments.
Scope of Work
The project scope included preparing a report that addressed the following elements required by the Federal Highway Administration for any access point (interchange):
- Future Interchanges - Is the proposed access point revision compatible with a comprehensive network plan?
- Land Use and Transportation Plans - Is the proposed access point revision compatible with all land use and transportation plans for the area?
- Reasonable Alternatives - Have all reasonable alternatives been assessed and provided for?
- Need for the Access Point Revision - What are the current and projected needs and why won't the existing access points and existing or improved local system meet the needs? Is the anticipated demand short or long trip?
- Access Connections and Design - Will the proposal provide fully directional interchanges connected to public roads, spaced appropriately, and designed to full design level geometric control criteria?
- Operational and Accident Analysis - How will the proposal affect safety and traffic operations now and for the next 20 years?
- Coordination - Are all coordinating projects and actions programmed and funded?
- Planning and Environmental Processes - What is the status of the proposal's planning and environmental processes?
The project's objective was to receive a "Finding of Engineering and Operational Acceptability" from WSDOT & FHWA.
Funding Partners
- U.S. Federal Highway Administration: $172,520
- City of Blaine: $20,000
- WA State Dept. of Transportation: $7,480