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Practical Solutions Lab / Workshop

Practical Solution Lab / Workshop

A two-day Practical Solutions Lab workshop was held virtually by WSDOT Eastern Region Planning on March 31, 2021 and April 6, 2021. There were over 40 participants comprised of members of the TAT and WSDOT Subject Matter Experts (SMEs). The purpose of the workshop was to collaboratively develop strategies that would then be evaluated using “Performance Measure Goals” to develop low-cost Practical Solution strategies in order to improve mobility and safety along the US 2 study corridor. The Performance Measure Goals (PDF 102KB) used and their definitions are provided in the image below.

Table of the six “Performance Measure Goals” and their definitions. Select the image to download a PDF copy of the goals.

The Practical Solutions lab/workshop was divided into separate categories to be in alignment with potential future funding opportunities. Each category was represented by at least one WSDOT SME. Prior to the workshop, WSDOT SMEs researched existing conditions as well as data/information provided from the study efforts. The SMEs provided their expertise and suggestions to the TAT and WSDOT Eastern Region Planning staff. The following categories were selected:

  • Safety
  • Freight
  • Environmental
  • Equity
  • Active Transportation
  • Public Transportation
  • Transportation Management Systems Operation (TSMO Strategies)
  • Traffic Operations
  • Land Use

A combined two-day PowerPoint presentation packet with all content presented during the workshop is available below:
Combined Two-Day Practical Solutions Lab/Workshop PowerPoint Presentation Packet (PDF 20MB)

The TAT and WSDOT SMEs collaboratively developed over eighty strategies during the workshop, with each placed in the categories previously noted. Via an electronic survey, the strategies were presented to the TAT for evaluation. As part of the evaluation, the TAT prioritized the strategies based on technical understanding of the respective strategy’s predictive effectiveness to address the specific category. For example, in the list of strategies for the Safety category, the highest ranked strategy for effectiveness based on the TAT’s response was the “Add accessible multimodal facilities with scale lighting.” A copy of the predictive effectiveness evaluation framework is available below:
Practical Solution Evaluation Framework (PDF 101KB)

The final practical solutions can be found on the Final Outcomes / Practical Solutions page.