Traffic cameras, reader boards installed on SR-14

New traffic cameras installed on state Route 14 will help keep drivers and Washington State Department of Transportation crews up-to-date about what is going on along the well-traveled roadway.

Cameras have been placed at Blanford Drive, Shorewood Drive, Cascade Park Drive and Southeast 164th Avenue. The cameras’ first day online was Thursday.

“When combined with the existing network, these cameras give our crews and drivers nearly complete coverage on SR-14 between I-5 and Southeast 164th Avenue,” said WSDOT Traffic Engineer Chad Hancock.

Also new to SR-14 are two electronic message boards on westbound SR-14 at Columbia House Boulevard and Southeast 164th Avenue.

The new equipment will allow drivers to prepare for potential traffic problems before hitting the road. It also helps WSDOT and the Washington State Patrol monitor the highway and respond to incidents more quickly and efficiently.

The signs and cameras were funded through a $700,000 federal grant from the Vancouver Area Smart Trek program.

Five more cameras will be installed on SR-14 during the next three years, including one at the Southeast 192nd Avenue interchange at the Camas-Vancouver border, and four between Camas and Washougal as part of the Highway 14 safety improvement project expected to begin construction in early summer.

The $57 million project will expand the highway to four lanes from the end of the west Camas Slough Bridge to Union Street; construct a new bridge on the east end of Lady Island; build a split diamond interchange at Union Street and Second Street; construct two new frontage roads with roundabouts on the north and south sides of the highway with major on/off ramps at Union Street and Second Street; and install a median barrier on Highway 14 through the entire length of the project.

To view images from the new traffic cameras, visit www.wsdot.wa.gov/small.

This article can also be found in the Feb. 8 Post-Record print edition.