PORT ANGELES — Funding for $3.6 million in safety improvements to the Morse Creek area of U.S. Highway 101 will not be endangered by budget cuts that Gov. Jay Inslee may impose in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, 24th District state Rep. Mike Chapman said last week.
But construction likely will be delayed by the $30 car tab measure — Initiative 976 — that voters approved in November, Chapman predicted, with construction potentially put off from the end of this year to the beginning of 2021.
More than 250 crashes occurred there between 2007 and 2019, making it the worst safety hazard in the Olympic Region, which comprises Thurston, Pierce, Kitsap, Grays Harbor, Jefferson and Clallam counties.
Inslee’s cuts would come from the operating budget, not the transportation budget, Chapman said.
“The transportation budget is still doing OK,” Chapman said.
“It’s still the No. 1-rated safety project, so we still have to do something.
“There are other projects that we could delay first.”
Highway 101 improvements will include an 8-inch curb median between the eastbound and westbound lanes along a 1-mile, curved stretch of roadway east of Port Angeles.
The state Department of Transportation also may reduce the speed limit to reduce collisions, according to a project overview presented by state officials during a two-day trip to Clallam and Jefferson counties in October.
The speed limit could be reduced from 45 mph to 40 mph.
Westbound drivers approaching Port Angeles east to west on Highway 101 would lower their speeds from 55 mph to 40 at the curve.
A community outreach plan was to be put together by early this year to help determine aspects of the project.
That probably won’t happen now until the fall because of money legislators set aside to account for I-976 cuts while they await until a state Supreme Court ruling on its legality.
“Everything got delayed because they have to make up for the loss in revenue,” said Chapman, a member of the House Transportation Committee.
“Because of the loss of revenue, it could get delayed again, but it won’t fall off the work plan.”
A construction contract for the project was to be advertised this fall, with construction expected to begin in 2021.
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Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 55650, or at pgottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.
