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The City of Vancouver is making Fourth Plain Blvd and Fort Vancouver Way safer for all users regardless of how they get around.

What's happening now?

October 2024 Updates

Fourth Plain Safety and Mobility Project Phase 1: F Street - Fort Vancouver Way

• Pavement work and curb ramp upgrades - Summer 2023.
  
• Construction of the final pieces of project phase 1 begins October 7, 2024.
• Phase 1 includes safety and mobility upgrades on Fourth Plain Boulevard between F Street and Fort Vancouver Way.
• The implementation of Fourth Plain Blvd Safety and Mobility project includes installing new bus platforms, a lane reconfiguration to add a two-way cycle track on the south side of Fourth Plain, repairs and restriping to existing crosswalks, and upgraded signals for bike and pedestrian safety.
• Work hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Project is planned to be completed by mid-December. Expect lane closures, lane shifts, ramp lane closures, shoulder closures and traffic delays during this project.

Fourth Plain Safety and Mobility Project Phase 2 : Fort Vancouver Way - Andresen Road

• Pavement work and curb ramp upgrades - Summer - Fall 2024
  • Grind, fill cracks and make repairs, re-pave and apply temporary striping.
• The implementation of the Fourth Plain Blvd Safety and Mobility project will follow the completion of the pavement work in Fall 2024.
• Safety and mobility project elements include:
  • A lane reconfiguration to add bike / small mobility lane on each side of the street between Fort Vancouver Way and 62nd Avenue.
  • Repairing and restriping existing crosswalks.
  • Priority bus lane markings and creation of Bus and Turn only Lanes.
  • Upgraded signals for pedestrian and bike / small mobility safety.
• Work hours are 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. Monday through Friday, and into Saturday mornings. Work will occur at night to minimize traffic disruptions and reduce impacts to commercial businesses. Work is planned to be completed in November.
• Fourth Plain Boulevard and Stapleton Road Intersection Improvement - Summer 2024

  Intersection improvements to the signal and intersection of NE Fourth Plain Boulevard and NE Stapleton Road. The intersection enhancements include upgrading the traffic signal and improving the current pavement striping.

Other work happening on Fourth Plain

New Traffic Signal at the intersection of West Fourth Plain Boulevard and Franklin Street - Summer and Fall 2024

A new signalized intersection is coming to West Fourth Plain Boulevard and Franklin Street. The project will install:

• New traffic signals in all four directions at the intersection.
• New ADA-compliant curb ramps and new crosswalks.
• Stormwater improvements, including new catch basin drains.
• Project is planned to be under construction from the middle of June through September 2024.

Project Timeline Updates:

Phase 1: Fort Vancouver Way between Fourth Plain & Mill Plain Blvd and Fourth Plain Blvd between F Street & Fort Vancouver Way

• Pavement work and restriping of Fourth Plain Blvd and Fort Vancouver Way kicked off Summer 2023 and continued into Fall 2023.
• Fort Vancouver Way project included the installation of buffered bike lanes and dedicated Bus and Turn Lanes (BAT Lanes).
• Completion of the Fourth Plain Blvd project and installation of the recommended elements of the safety and mobility Project will be installed during in 2024.
• Supply chain issues delayed the installation of these final project elements.
• This created some confusion for people using the roadway where new striping has been painted but signage and other markers aren't installed yet.
• These elements should be installed in Fall 2024 along with the final project elements for Phase 2.

Phase 2: Fourth Plain Blvd between Fort Vancouver Way and Andresen Rd

• Pavement work, curb ramp upgrades, and restriping of Fourth Plain Blvd began Summer 2024 and should be complete Fall 2024.
• Installation of the recommended safety and Mobility project components will be installed when pavement work is completed, later in Fall 2024.
  
  

Project Background

In Spring 2022, the City began studying ways to improve safety, mobility, and comfort for people moving on both Fourth Plain Blvd (from F Street east to Andresen) and Fort Vancouver Way (from Fourth Plain to Mill Plain). Over 300 crashes occurred between 2018 to 2020, making it the most unsafe corridor in the City. In Summer 2022, we confirmed with Vancouver residents and community members that many people feel unsafe traveling these streets, including people crossing the street, children, and people with disabilities.

In Fall 2022, the City shared design options for making these streets safer and more comfortable. These options consider ways of making The Vine bus run more efficiently along Fourth Plain Blvd, making the service more attractive and reliable for riders. The design options do not widen the existing roadway, but instead repurpose a traffic lane. These designs will be constructed in 2023 and 2024 as part of already planned paving projects.

Learn more about these options from the project summaries linked in the Project Library.

How will the community be involved?

In the summer and fall of 2022, the City conducted in-person and online outreach to people who live, work, play, or go to school on Fourth Plain Boulevard and Fort Vancouver Way. The City is committed to gathering broad community feedback to understand how project improvements can best serve all who drive, walk, bicycle, or use a mobility device along these corridors. See the Project Library to review engagement and design summaries from this stage of the project.

The City presented the project to the Transportation and Mobility Commission and Vancouver City Council a total of 13 times between 2021 and 2023, and City Council adopted the proposed designs in March 2023.

What will the project accomplish?

The purpose of this project is to improve safety, mobility, and comfort on both Fourth Plain (from F Street east to Andresen) and Fort Vancouver Way (from Fourth Plain to Mill Plain). These roads have a history of safety problems for all users, and are not comfortable roads for people to walk, ride a bike, or use transit. Improvements may include:

• Repairing potholes and repaving.
• Safety and operations improvements at intersections.
• Improved conditions for people walking, biking, using mobility devices, or taking the bus.
• This project is exploring how to use the existing right of way (road space) to make this corridor safer. This could include "lane reconfigurations," that change the number of lanes for driving to make more room for people biking, walking, or using the bus.

This project is part of the Complete Streets program - a citywide initiative to increase safety and mobility for all community members regardless of how they travel. Learn more about the Complete Streets portfolio of projects by visiting the City website.

Construction Timeline

Repaving and corridor improvements to Fourth Plain Blvd and Fort Vancouver Way are planned to occur in two separate construction phases (see map below):

• Phase 1: West Corridor (2023 and 2024): Safety upgrades, and repurposing of a vehicle lane of Fourth Plain Blvd (F Street to Fort Vancouver Way) and Fort Vancouver Way (Fourth Plain Blvd to Mill Plain Blvd). These segments were repaved in 2023, but final mobility lane elements on Fourth Plain Blvd will be installed in 2024.
  
  
• Phase 2: East Corridor (2024): The second phase of the repaving, safety upgrades, and roadway repurposing on Fourth Plain Blvd between Fort Vancouver Way and Andresen Road. This segment is planned to be repaved and new elements constructed in 2024.

  
  

  

Why is the City doing the Project now?

The City completed the Transportation System Safety Analysis (TSSA) in 2018 that showed that Fourth Plain Blvd between Grand Boulevard and Andresen Road had the highest number of crashes per mile of all principal arterials in the City. Fourth Plain Blvd and Fort Vancouver Way are also home to several of the City's key destinations such as the Vancouver VA Medical Hospital, Clark College, and Fourth Plain International Business District. This project is the first step to understand how to best make these roads safer, while balancing the needs of all users. Fourth Plain and Fort Vancouver Way are also slated to be repaved in 2023 and 2024, which will provide a cost-effective opportunity for the City to implement any recommended safety improvements that come out of this project.

Stay Involved!

Use this site to sign up for email updates, review documents in the project library, and stay informed about opportunities to learn more about complete streets.