Strengthening transportation resilience in Skagit County
In recent years, Skagit County has experienced more extreme weather events, including intense flooding, more frequent heatwaves and dryer summers, stronger winds, power outages and increased potential for wildfire. These issues have affected different portions of the transportation network and ecological systems in the region, impacting the local economy and communities.
To reduce this impact, Skagit Council of Governments (SCOG) is developing the Transportation Resilience Improvement Plan (Resilience Plan) to identify projects and solutions that make the transportation system in Skagit County more resilient to natural hazards.
Projects identified from the Resilience Plan will be incorporated into the Regional Transportation Plan . Projects will aim to reduce damage and disruptions to the transportation system, improve the wellbeing of the traveling public, and consider the needs of disadvantaged populations that are often more vulnerable to natural hazards.
The Resilience Plan is part of the broader federally funded Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-Saving Transportation (PROTECT) Program . Projects selected under this program are grounded in the best available scientific understanding of risks, impacts, and vulnerabilities; and support the continued operation or rapid recovery of crucial local, regional, or national transportation facilities.
SCOG will collect feedback from local communities and entities, leverage existing data related to resilience and natural hazards from the region, and identify vulnerabilities of the transportation system in Skagit County. This effort will deliver a Resilience Plan that will help protect the region’s critical transportation infrastructure now and in the future.
SCOG is working with local communities and stakeholders to conduct a vulnerability assessment of the transportation system in Skagit County. The analysis will help determine what tailored strategies, practices and projects could be implemented to meet the specific needs and conditions of the Skagit region.
SCOG will develop recommendations and actions to improve the resilience of the transportation infrastructure of Skagit County in the Resilience Plan. The Resilience Plan should be published in early 2026. A draft of the plan will be available for public review and comment in late 2025 before the final plan is adopted.
Identifying solutions to improve the resilience of the transportation system of Skagit County will begin with a thorough investigation of the specific needs and unique conditions throughout the region. After the data-driven analysis has been conducted and stakeholders have provided feedback, recommendations that will emerge may include plans and policies for the following potential actions:
- Raising bridges to protect against future sea level rise.
- Protecting critical transportation infrastructure so that key transportation routes are operable during flooding or adverse weather events.
- Stabilizing slopes and raising highways or other infrastructure to reduce the risk of roadway flooding and landslides during or after heavy rain.
- Upgrading substructures at ferry piers to prevent erosion and scour.
- Building shade structures along shared use paths to mitigate heat.
- Installing permeable pavement at park-and-ride lots for water infiltration.
Title VI Notice to the Public
SCOG fully complies with Federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, or sex. For more information, or to obtain a Title VI Complaint Form, visit SCOG’s website at scog.net/about/nondiscrimination. Sign language and interpretation services, and communication material in Spanish and alternative formats, can be arranged given sufficient notice by calling (360) 416-7876, TTY Relay 711.
ADA Notice to the Public
SCOG fully complies with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and does not discriminate on the basis of disability. For more information, or to file a grievance contact the ADA Coordinator, Kevin Murphy at 360-416-7871 or kmurphy@scog.net.
