SR 105 is maintained by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), which conducts an annual survey on state highways to measure traffic volume in terms of annual average daily traffic. The highway's daily vehicle counts in 2016 ranges from a minimum of 970 vehicles near Tokeland to a maximum of 17,000 in southern Aberdeen.[3] SR 105 is designated by the state government as the Cranberry Coast Scenic Byway, recognizing the area's cranberry industry.[4][5] The highway is also a signed tsunami evacuation route for Westport and Grayland.[6]
State Route 105 Spur (more specifically referred to by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) as "State Route 105 Spur Westport") is a spur of State Route 105 that goes north into the town of Westport, USA. It snakes through the city streets, initially as Forrest Street, finally ending at the harbor.
The SR 105/105 Spur junction is about 5 miles (8 km) north of Grayland, Washington, immediately adjacent to Twin Harbors State Park. The spur is 4.02 miles (6.47 km) long.[1] WSDOT estimates that daily traffic on the spur route ranges from 1,000 vehicles at its northern terminus to 5,400 at Montesano Street.[3]
State Route 105 Spur can also refer to a 0.15-mile (240 m) section of the Aberdeen-area SR 105/U.S. Route 101 junction specifically referred to by WSDOT as "State Route 105 Spur Boone". WSDOT estimates that traffic counts on the Boone spur range from 1,200 to 1,700 vehicles.[3]
History
A section of SR 105 near Cape Shoalwater that was abandoned and bypassed in the 1990s due to coastline erosion
SR 105 follows the Aberdeen–Tokeland Highway, which was constructed in the 1920s to connect Tokeland and Westport to Aberdeen.[7] It was added to the state highway system in 1937 as Secondary State Highway 13A (SSH 13A), the lone branch of Primary State Highway 13, with a spur route serving Westport and plans to extend the main road from Tokeland to Raymond.[8][9]
Construction of the Tokeland–Raymond highway was delayed until the early 1950s despite lobbying from local interests.[10] The rugged terrain, difficult soil conditions, and weather issues delayed completion until the 1960s.[11] The final section of SSH 13A, between Tokeland and Raymond, was opened in 1962.[12] In the 1964 state highway renumbering, SSH 13A was assigned the designation of SR 105.[13] Part of the new coastal highway was eroded away in the late 1960s, leading to the first of several re-location projects.[citation needed] The state government submitted an application to the American Association of State Highway Officials in 1962 to designate the coastal route as U.S. Route 101 Alternate, but were denied due to the route's lack of justification.[14]
Between Grayland and Tokeland, SR 105 had to be re-routed inland in the 1990s from Cape Shoalwater, due to currents coming out of Willapa Bay causing severe erosion, taking many acres of land out to sea.[15]
^Rand McNally (1939). "Washington" (Map). State Farm Road Atlas: United States, Canada, Mexico. 1 inch ≈ 18 miles. Bloomington, Illinois: State Farm Insurance Companies Travel Bureau. pp. 82–83. OCLC9587280. Retrieved September 22, 2018 – via David Rumsey Historical Map Collection.
^"Difficult Work on 13A Poses Problems". Washington Highway News. Vol. 8, no. 11. Washington State Department of Highways. April 1960. pp. 18–19. OCLC29654162. Retrieved September 5, 2018 – via Washington State Department of Transportation Library Digital Collections.
^""Missing Link" Will Open". Washington Highway News. Vol. 9, no. 12. Washington State Department of Highways. June 1962. p. 10. OCLC29654162. Retrieved September 12, 2018 – via Washington State Department of Transportation Library Digital Collections.
