SR903
Washington State Route 903 is about a 11-mile-long WA State Highway located entirely in Upper Kittitas County
SR903 is a basic 2 lane road between Cle Elum and Salmon La Sac.
In other words: only one lane in and one lane out from Roslyn and up to Salmon La Sac
Key Takeaway
SR903 is the only continuous route in and out of the Upper Kittitas County communities of Roslyn, Ronald, and Lake Cle Elum, making it a critical corridor for evacuation and emergency access.
IMO: Only having 2 lanes into and out of Roslyn/Ronald is concerning in the case of an emergency such as a fire and/or mass evacuations. How many emergency vehicles can come into the area while personal vehicles are leaving the area?
SR903 info:
SR903 has existed as a numbered highway since at least 1939 – 2 lanes (1 each direction) between:
SR903 at the end of Bull Frog Road near Sportland Mini-Mart – Roundabout
Is SR903 an evacuation constraint for Roslyn, Ronald, Lake Cle Elum?
Limited routes out of a community can cause mass congestion during evacuation.
For emergency services that require large vehicles and/or massive equipment – such as fire trucks – SR903 is only 2 lanes – How will residents and tourists get out in an emergency?
SR-903 cannot handle a mass evacuation — here’s the math
Where will the West’s next deadly wildfire strike? The risks are everywhere — azcentral
From the azcentral article:
Phillip Levin, a researcher at the University of Washington and lead scientist for the Nature Conservancy in Washington, puts it this way: “Fire is natural. But the disaster happens because people didn’t know to leave, or couldn’t leave. It didn’t have to happen.”
—azcentral
My question is why couldn’t they leave?
“Several Northwest counties and the U.S. Forest Service are working to reduce the risk of fires overtaking key evacuation routes.” – washingtonstatestandard.com
Read more about State Highway 903 from Roslyn to Salmon La Sac. FYI: Per this article, SR903 is ranked highest on Kittitas County’s list of evacuation routes to strengthen against wildfire.
SR-903: One Road, One Chance — Why Upper Kittitas County’s Evacuation Risk Is Real
SR903 is a beautiful drive. It’s also the only way out. Plan accordingly — before fire season, not during it.
Auxiliary route of I-90
For those that are looking to get around I-90 traffic… SR903 will not help you unless you want to stop and buy some food/gas or trinkets and kill time while you wait for I-90 traffic to subside.
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