PORT ANGELES — The city of Port Angeles is planning to rebuild a busy section of south Lincoln Street, and it will do so largely with state funds.
The City Council voted 7-0 last week to accept a $1.28 million grant from the state Department of Transportation for safety improvements on Lincoln Street from First to Eighth streets.
Design is scheduled to take place in 2020 with construction slated for 2021.
The city will use $100,000 in Transporation Benefit District funding to cover the balance.
“The Public Works department is extremely excited to see this project move forward,” Public Works and Utilities Director Thomas Hunter told the council Sept. 17.
“I think that this is an excellent example of pairing our dollars from the Transportation Benefit District with grant opportunities to see some really impactful improvements, not just for ADA [Americans with Disabilities Act] accessibility, but also for bicycle lanes, pedestrian advisory flashers and integrating some of the safety features that are really important for this community.”
The state Department of Transportation’s bicycle and pedestrian safety program helps local agencies fund projects that reduce collisions between vehicles and pedestrians or bicyclists while encouraging walking or bicycling.
Lincoln Street will receive new and improved ADA curb ramps, curb extensions, bicycle lanes and pedestrian advisory flashers integrated within modified bus zone, parking and access features, Hunter said.
It also will include a traffic signal analysis for Third and Lincoln streets.
Council member Cherie Kidd noted said the DOT grant will cover 92.8 percent of the total project cost.
“This is how I like to spend the city money,” Kidd said.
“Seven point two percent of the project is coming from city funds.”
City voters in 2017 approved a 0.2 percent sales tax increase to fund a local Transportation Benefit District, or TBD, to help pay for improvements to streets, sidewalks and alleys.
The city has used the TBD to match state and federal grants for recently completed projects such as West 10th Street between N and I streets and Lauridsen Boulevard between Lincoln Street and Lauridsen Court.
Hunter said the Lincoln Street project is consistent with goals in the city’s Comprehensive Plan to develop a coordinated, multi-modal system and to improve circulation patterns.
“I think that this is really in line with where we’re trying to move from a transportation perspective,” Hunter told the council.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56450, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
