Share Your Input: What’s on the Horizon for Spokane County’s Transportation System?

Posted on March 12, 2025 at 6:30 am

Guest post by Savannah Creasey

The people in Spokane County are diverse and lead many different lives, but we all have one thing in common: transportation. It is essential for our livelihoods. No matter how you travel or where you travel, transportation is a necessity for daily life. Our regional systems connect us to friends, family, work, play and so much more.

Long-range transportation plans are put in place to keep people connected to one another and the places they need to go. Transportation planning guides our system to create an efficient and reliable future. This planning also encourages local agencies to collaborate and create a coordinated transportation system that benefits everyone who uses it.

At the crux of this effort is Horizon 2050, the region’s Metropolitan Transportation Plan that is currently in development.

Horizon 2050

A Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) spans 20+ years into the future and outlines how a region will manage, improve, and operate the regional transportation system. Developing an MTP is a federal requirement that ensures that each region is partaking in a “Continuing, Cooperative, and Comprehensive” transportation planning process.

Spokane Regional Transportation Council (SRTC) is leading this effort for Spokane County.

Horizon 2050, our MTP, is currently being developed and will cover all modes of transportation, including transit, driving, walking, and biking.

The Horizon 2050 plan sets desired transportation goals for our region and helps make it more likely to achieve them through collaborative planning between SRTC and its member agencies. Additionally, Horizon 2050 will include:

• A summary of regional transportation needs taken from a variety of ongoing transportation plans, programs, and studies
• Regionally significant transportation projects such as the North Spokane Corridor
• Financial forecasting to estimate funding for future transportation investments and updated growth projections
• Public engagement efforts to hear from the community and coordinate with state, regional, and local agencies.

On this episode of Library Out Loud: SCLD, Lois Bollenback and Jason Lien from Spokane Regional Transportation Council discuss Spokane County’s long-range transportation plans and how you can get involved.

Timeline for Horizon 2050

The plan is still in development, with a focus on receiving public input about current transportation needs and desired investments over the next few months. Engagement opportunities for public feedback end in early Summer 2025. You can find the locations and dates for upcoming Horizon 2050 Workshops below.

A draft of the Horizon 2050 plan, which will be available for a month for public comments, will be released in early fall 2025. The plan is set to be adopted in November 2025 by the SRTC Board of Directors.

Learn how you can get involved and share your voice below!

The Importance of Regional Transportation Planning

The work of regional transportation planning is just the very first step in any transportation improvement process.

Oftentimes, the work and analysis done by transportation planners take many years to come to fruition, making it a slow process that does not offer instant gratification. However, the speed of transportation planning does not diminish its immense importance.

Horizon 2050 is one of our region’s most important plans. Through Horizon 2050, regional transportation leaders all gain the same understanding of where their efforts should be coordinated. To decide what direction their future decisions and efforts should take, the importance of documenting the various areas of concern that community members have shared across the county is captured in the plan documented by SRTC.

By sharing your concerns, you not only ensure that your area’s needs are identified and recognized but also help demonstrate where fiscal investments should be directed.

People who participate in Horizon 2050 public outreach activities also have a direct line to the elected officials who make up SRTC’s Board of Directors. The Board discusses and votes on the final decisions for regional funding, including the final version of Horizon 2050. By learning about public ideas and sentiments, the Board can make more informed decisions, such as supporting the development of projects that address areas of public concern.

We each use Spokane’s transportation system in different ways, so sharing your personal experiences can help decision-makers see a perspective on travel that they haven’t experienced.

Your experience and voice help shape transportation for future generations to come and improve the communities through Spokane County. Every voice matters and brings us towards a better future!

How You Can Get Involved

There are several ways to learn about Horizon 2050 and provide input on the plan. To have the most impact, you can take the Horizon 2050 survey and/or attend a public workshop. Here is more information about the ways to get involved.

• Horizon 2050 Survey: This 8-question survey asks for your thoughts about transportation needs and desired investments. The survey will be open through early summer 2025. Take the survey.
• Horizon 2050 Workshops: These include an interactive activity, a presentation, Q&A, and more. Attend one of the following to participate and learn more:
  
  SPOKANE VALLEY LIBRARY
  22 N Herald Rd (Spokane Valley)
  Tuesday, April 1, 5–6:30pm
  
  SPOKANE PUBLIC LIBRARY – CENTRAL
  906 W Main Ave (Downtown Spokane)
  Thursday, April 17, 5–6:30pm
   
• In early fall 2025, SRTC will hold a month-long, public comment period for the Horizon 2050 draft. To learn more about the comment period and to get more information on the activities above, visit srtc.org/horizon-2050.
• SRTC will be present at community events this spring and summer, including the Spokane Bike Swap, El Mercadito, Liberty Lake Farmers Market, Felts Field Neighbor Day, Juneteenth Celebration, Summer Parkways, and Unity in the Community.

About Spokane Regional Transportation Council

SRTC is the lead agency for transportation planning for the area covered by Spokane County. As the region’s Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) and Regional Transportation Planning Organization (RTPO), SRTC coordinates transportation planning throughout the Spokane region.

The SRTC Board of Directors is made up of elected officials and representatives from member agency organizations from across Spokane County, who make important planning and funding decisions for the region. For more information on SRTC and its member jurisdictions, visit srtc.org.

Savannah Creasey is the Communication and Public Relations Coordinator for the Spokane Regional Transportation Council (SRTC). At SRTC, she takes on a variety of different roles and projects, including outreach for long-range plans and participation in equity efforts. Creasey loves working in the public sector, where she can help promote important work and make a difference in her community. She graduated from Whitworth University with a degree in strategic communication.

Tags: adults, community, Spokane Regional Transportation Council, SRTC, transportation