SEQUIM — Construction on West Fir Street is expected to be under budget and finished before schools let out for summer, city officials said.
That’s a month ahead of the 18-month forecast, and nearly $700,000 less than expected in 2019.
Matt Klontz, Sequim city engineer/assistant public works director, said the project spanning the north sides of Sequim Avenue to Fifth Avenue could finish by late April or as late as the end of May, depending on weather.
“The contractor started May 20 (2019), and if we’re done before then, we can brag and say we’re done in less than a year,” he joked with Sequim City Council members on Jan. 13.
Crews were continuing to work on the project even as rain poured on the North Olympic Peninsula this week.
As for funding, Klontz said by project’s end, it could come close to $691,000 under the construction award amount with Interwest Construction and finish at about $5.5 million, compared to the $6.2 million contract.
Original cost estimates last February to repair the roadway with new piping, surfacing, safety amenities and more set the project at $1.7 million over budget to upward of $6.9 million.
City staff said then that was due in part to consultants not including irrigation piping in the estimates, inaccurate costs for supplies and more.
“We appear to be back on target with what we originally planned,” Klontz said in an interview.
“The strategy was to wait and see how we’re doing and possibly do a budget amendment to dedicate more money (to the project),” he said.
”But it could be we don’t even need a budget amendment. There’s still three to fourth months ahead of us.”
Over/under
Klontz reports that the sewer, water and reclaimed water construction costs could come in under budget by about $65,000 and costs for placing telephone and internet lines underground be finished under budget by about $143,000.
Roadway costs are the only fund going over budget — by $40,000 — because the contractor tentatively using more aggregate (roadway material) than expected, Klontz said.
That extra amount comes from a Construction Contingency fund, with the remainder of about $525,000 tentatively going back into various utility funds for future projects.
A traffic signal on North Fifth Avenue and West Fir Street remains part of the project, and Klontz said the plan is to install a conduit at North Sequim Avenue and West Fir Street for a future traffic signal to reduce future construction costs.
“Based on the growth for that part of Sequim, I believe we will meet the need for a traffic signal there in the next five to ten years,” he said.
“When the project started, we knew a traffic signal was needed there, but was twenty years out. Now the need for a signal is going to be met much sooner.”
The North Fifth Avenue traffic signal will be operational by the project’s completion date for an estimated cost of about $340,000, he said.
Vehicles will have left-hand turn lanes with turn arrows on the lights along Fifth Avenue going north and south.
Cost for a light on Sequim Avenue ranges from $200,000-$300,000, Klontz said.
Interwest plans to install rectangular rapid flashing beacons at the intersection where pedestrians push a button leading to bright lights alerting drivers.
Snowfall shut down construction last Monday through Friday but work resumed this week.
Fresh sidewalks were covered to prevent damage from the snow.
Next up
Klontz said some of the remaining larger projects include adding the traffic signal, road lighting, more sidewalks, and landscaping.
Final paving is tentatively slated for Sequim School District’s spring break set for March 30-April 3.
“It’s weather-dependent but it’s a nice goal to work towards,” Klontz said.
For more information about the West Fir Street Rehabilitation project, call Sequim Public Works at 360-683-4908 or visit www.sequimwa.gov.
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Matthew Nash is a reporter with the Olympic Peninsula News Group, which is composed of Sound Publishing newspapers Peninsula Daily News, Sequim Gazette and Forks Forum. Reach him at mnash@sequimgazette.com.
Crewmen with Interwest Construction cover irrigation pipeline along Second Avenue on Jan. 20. City staff estimate the West Fir Street Rehabilitation Project finishing sometime between late April and late May depending on weather conditions. Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash Crewmen with Interwest Construction cover irrigation pipeline along Second Avenue in Sequim on Monday. City staff estimate the West Fir Street Rehabilitation Project finishing sometime between late April and late May depending on weather conditions. (Matthew Nash/Olympic Peninsula News Group)
