PORT ANGELES — It was an opportunity that was hard to pass up: $37 million in federal funding for 11 transportation projects in the Port Angeles area.
But the application wasn’t accepted, and it’s back to drawing board for the city of Port Angeles and Port of Port Angeles to find funding for several of the projects that were included in the large grant application to the federal Department of Transportation.
The Deer Park underpass on U.S. Highway 101 east of Port Angeles and the planned replacement of the MV Coho ferry dock are still in the works.
The city of Port Angeles is seeking funding for a proposed waterfront promenade.
The grant — called “Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery,” or TIGER — provided $1.475 billion for 52 large construction projects around the nation on Feb. 17.
For an application to be considered, it had to include at least $30 million in projects.
Underpass, ferry terminal
Although Clallam County’s application for $8 million for the planned Deer Park underpass was not accepted, that project remains on course.
The estimated $7.5 million road project will not be affected because funding was secured already, county Transportation Program Manager Rich James said.
Failure to receive the TIGER grant means the county will have to contribute about $2 million to the underpass, he said.
Port Executive Director Jeff Robb said the grant would have “made it easier” to get work under way for replacing the Coho dock, but the port is moving ahead with the project anyway.
If federal appropriations can’t be secured this year, the port and Black Ball Ferry Line could fund it themselves, he said. Robb added that work could begin as early as late 2011.
The $9 million project would involve building a new steel or concrete dock and replacing the ferry ticket sales building. Black Ball would contribute $2 million, Robb said.
City and port administrators said they are each seeking federal appropriations to cover the costs of the promenade and dock replacement projects.
Boulevard bridge
The city is also seeking appropriations for replacement of the Lauridsen Boulevard bridge near Race Street, which was included in the grant application.
A proposed eastbound on-ramp at state Highway 117 and U.S. Highway 101, also included in the grant application, may also be dependent on outside funding, City Manager Kent Myers said.
Myers said he wasn’t surprised the grant application was denied.
“We knew going in that it was going to be a very competitive situation,” he said.
Each of the selected applications involved a single large project.
Construction of the Deer Park underpass is projected to begin about August 2011 and take between three to six months to complete, James said.
With the underpass, drivers headed westbound to Port Angeles from Deer Park Cinemas will turn down a two-lane county road behind the theater and follow it underneath the highway.
The new road will loop around to Buchanan Drive, where vehicles will have a free right turn with an acceleration lane.
Eastbound drivers heading toward Sequim from C’est Si Bon restaurant or points north will take the underpass and merge onto the highway at Deer Park Road.
Other projects in the grant application included a pedestrian overpass over Marine Drive and Tumwater Street; a roundabout at Lincoln Street and Lauridsen Boulevard; rehabilitation of First, Front and Race streets; Peabody Creek and Lincoln Street culvert rehabilitation; Race Street bicycle lanes; and improved bicycle and pedestrian access on First, Front and Race streets.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.
