SR-903 — Washington State Route 903: The Only Road In and Out of Roslyn, Ronald & Lake Cle Elum
State Route 903 (SR-903) is a 10.06-mile, two-lane Washington state highway running from Cle Elum through Roslyn and Ronald to Lake Cle Elum and Salmon La Sac — entirely within Upper Kittitas County. It is the only continuous paved route in and out for the area’s more than 1,200 year-round residents (Roslyn ~950, Ronald ~300, per the U.S. Census) plus thousands of seasonal visitors — and it is ranked #1 on Kittitas County’s list of evacuation routes to strengthen against wildfire.
In other words: only one lane in and one lane out from Roslyn and up to Salmon La Sac
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.
Recommended Reading
Worth reading if you live at the end of a one-road community — a wildland fire chief on why mega-fires keep getting bigger, and what homeowners can actually do about it.
Wildland Fire Chief Del Albright explains how we are the generation of massive infernos called mega-fires – wildfires beyond our wildest imaginations — and what we can do about it. This book will help you understand wildfire today and how we got into the mess we are in with public lands and resources. You will also have a complete list of things we can all do about mega-fires and keeping our homes and property safe.