QUILCENE — The plan to increase traffic safety on U.S. Highway 101 as it runs through town has gained traction, with a second community workshop coming up to present possible options and solicit community feedback.
The meeting is planned for early March with the date and time to be determined, according to project manager Eric Kuzma.
During the upcoming meeting, consultants will present plans to improve the traffic flow that take into account suggestions coming from the first design meeting Dec. 7.
“The people at the meeting were outspoken about what they wanted,” Kuzma said. “It’s our job to make it work.”
The goal is to make the 1.2-mile portion of Highway 101 that passes through Quilcene safer for pedestrians, bicyclists and students, which will be accomplished by getting motorists to respect the 30 mph speed limit.
This project will provide enhanced pedestrian crossings, sidewalks and bicycle lanes along the highway, according to the county’s website.
The project could include improvements such as traffic signs and beacons, pedestrian lighting, and landscaping and pedestrian amenities to serve as cues to slow drivers down.
Design phase
Kuzma expects for the design phase’s completion to occur this summer, followed by an approval process from the state Department of Transportation. He hopes construction will begin in Summer 2017.
The project, which is funded by an $884,165 grant given by Transportation in June 2012, began in earnest last summer because the county did not have the personnel to address the task, Public Works officials said at the time.
Kuzma said the county determined the amount of the grant as a best guess of the project’s cost, which is contingent on what emerges from the public meetings.
“We may come out of the public outreach project having more or less money than what we need,” Kuzma said.
“If we don’t have enough money to complete the project, we will either seek out new funding sources or complete the project in phases, building one part and then look to apply for a second grant.”
Two contracts
In October, the Jefferson County commissioners approved two contracts with consultants to develop a design for eliminating traffic hazards and to encourage people to observe the 30 mph speed limit as they pass through town on Highway 101.
The Fischer-Bouma Partnership of Bainbridge Island is to receive $18,000 for landscape architecture and design services while civic engineering firm SJC Alliance in Olympia will receive $8,430 to develop the implementation of the plan.
“The overall concern is safety for the kids around the school area,” said Jefferson County Commissioner Kathleen Kler.
“If we are able to calm down the traffic so the kids will be safe, then it will extend to other people.”
Kler said that getting people to slow down could have an economic benefit, as “people will see that we are a real town with interesting businesses, not just a place to pass through.”
The stretch of the highway running through town is marked by several unsafe segments and blind spots where wrecks could easily occur, according to Quilcene resident Linda Herzog.
Dangerous spots
Two examples of unsafe areas are a curve just south of Quilcene School with limited visibility and an area in front of Peninsula Foods, 294682 Highway 101, where store customers often make an unsafe U-turn, according to Tom Brotherton, whose family owns and operates the Quilcene Village Store.
Fischer said the public process will result in a plan of what the community wants, rather than something that is forced onto them.
“Many of the people want to maintain the area’s rural character and not look urban or suburban,” she said.
“That can be a challenge. Staying rural can be difficult when you are located on a state or federal highway.”
To access the latest information about the project, go to tinyurl.com/PDN-streets.
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
