PORT ANGELES — If you’ve ever been annoyed by the wait to cross U.S. Highway 101 at Deer Park Road, Clallam County is working on a project to ease your pain.
By the end of 2012, the county will open an underpass near Deep Park Cinemas that will provide a safe and hassle-free crossing for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians.
Federal, state and local funding for the $6 million to $8 million project has already been secured.
“We’re just about ready to move into the right-of-way acquisition phase,” said Rich James, Clallam County transportation program manager.
County officials said the underpass is needed because the crossings at Deer Park Road and Buchanan Drive are dangerous. Both will become right-turn-only roads onto the highway.
“There is a huge pattern of accidents at Deer Park Road,” James said.
“It’s almost equally as bad at Buchanan.”
Drivers heading to Port Angeles from the theater or Wilder Auto will follow a new county road that goes under the existing highway near C’est Si Bon restaurant.
After looping past the scenic overlook, motorists will merge with westbound traffic on a new acceleration lane at Buchanan Drive.
The county is awaiting final approval from the state Department of Transportation before it can contract the preliminary engineering. James said that approval may come by year’s end.
“During the same time frame, between now and July, we’ll be designing it,” James said.
The county first considered building an overpass at the site, which is just east of the Morse Creek S-curve near Port Angles, but opted for the underpass in the summer of 2009.
A right-of-way conflict changed an earlier alignment that would have put the crossing farther to the east.
The conflict slowed progress on the project somewhat, but the beginning of construction remains scheduled for late 2011.
“I’m not giving up on 2011 yet,” James said of the groundbreaking.
Much of the work can be accomplished outside of the construction season, James added.
The state highway will be shifted to either side as the underpass is being built.
Crews will take advantage of the already-paved scenic overlook on the north side of Highway 101.
“We’re going to likely be routing traffic,” James said.
“We’d like to build half to two-thirds of the structure while traffic is out of the way.”
The 50-foot-wide road bed will include a 10-foot-wide sidewalk that connects to the Olympic Discovery Trail.
In August 2009, Transportation agreed to transfer nearly $3.8 million in federal and state funds to complete the project.
The largest chunks are $2.8 million allocated from a federal transportation program and $2 million from Clallam County real estate excise taxes.
Included in the project are improvements to the scenic overlook.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
