PORT ANGELES — City Hall will spend a little bit more money on the First Street stormwater project in order to repave more of the downtown roadway.
As part of the project, both lanes of the road between Valley and Laurel streets in Port Angeles are to be repaved.
The city has opted to extend that work to the south lane of the road between Laurel and Lincoln streets. The north lane of that block will be fog sealed as previously planned.
The additional work will cost $85,000 and include rebuilding the concrete panel underneath.
City Public Works and Utilities Director Glenn Cutler said the city has the money within its budget for the project.
The council approved the allocation unanimously Tuesday.
Cutler said the north lane is in better shape and doesn’t need the same work.
The project, under way downtown, involves installing a new stormwater pipe from Valley to Laurel streets, repaving much of the road, adding bike lanes and adding or replacing crosswalks.
The project is estimated to cost $2.25 million, according to the city.
But nearly all of that is covered by the National Park Service.
The city is only paying to repave the road, add bike lanes and replace or add crosswalks.
It has budgeted $225,000 for that work.
The park service is funding installation of a new stormwater pipe because the project is part of its Elwha River restoration effort.
The First Street project is intended to remove enough storm water from the city’s sewer system to offset the contribution of sewage from the Lower Elwha Klallam reservation.
The tribe will be connected to the city’s sewers because it’s expected that its septic tanks will become unusable as the ground water level rises when two Elwha River dams are removed.
The Park Service agreed to fund a stormwater disconnect project to offset the impact on the city’s sewage overflow problem.
The sewer system is scheduled to be built by June 2012.
The stormwater pipe will be installed by Memorial Day (May 30). The entire project is expected to be done in June.
The removal of the Elwha River dams is scheduled to begin in September.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.
