PORT TOWNSEND — The Board of Jefferson County Commissioners passed a six-year transportation plan that includes 38 improvement or capital projects countywide, with more than $94 million in forecasted expenditures.
Capital projects are considered based on available grants, Director of Public Works Monte Reinders said.
“As far as the projects going forward, they’re all good,” Reinders said. “It will be good to see the Olympic Discovery Trail extended to Anderson Lake State Park’s property. I think a lot of people in the community will be really excited to see that happen as well.”
The annual update, presented during a public hearing Tuesday, is required to stay in compliance with a state law that says counties must maintain advanced plans for no fewer than six years.
Public works provided a 36-page document in the commissioners’ agenda packet. The document is publicly accessible and can be found through the county’s laserfiche portal.
The document also includes a map of the sites with planned improvements, along with a corresponding spreadsheet specifying types of improvements, funding sources, funding statuses, projects phases and an expenditure schedule allocating funds for given projects over the next six years.
The document comes with a key specifying the meaning of the many codes, abbreviations and acronyms found in the spreadsheet.
The plan outlines projects across both East Jefferson and West Jefferson County. Sixty percent are culvert related, 21 percent are for non-motorized transportation projects and about 9 percent are road and intersection projects, according to the plan.
Jefferson County resident Tom Thiersch expressed philosophical disagreement with the amount of spending on non-motorized transportation.
“I have a couple of concerns about prioritization of some of the projects,” he said. “The amount that’s usually allocated in these plans and continues to be allocated for non-motorized projects remains a concern. Here we are, about to create a new transportation district to tax to pay for the roads, but the people that are going to use the trails and so forth that are funded by these motorized projects aren’t going to be paying the same thing for the use of that facility.
“My opinion is that non-motorized projects be lowered in priority when you consider all of the other road projects that need to be done.”
Of the budgeted $94,765,408, 76.7 percent, or $72,656,556, is intended to come from federal grant funding, with state funding covering 21 percent, or about $20 million. Local funds are expected to cover about 1.4 percent, or $1,285,654, of the improvements.
Local funds are used to leverage state and federal funding sources, Reinders said.
“That 1.4 percent is leveraging $94 million,” he said. “So you take any percent of that away and suddenly millions of dollars go away.”
In a later interview, Reinders said some projects can be pushed off for decades because the county doesn’t have the money to fund them.
“We just completed the replacement of a culvert on West Valley Road with a fish passable structure,” Reinders said. “I’ve been trying to get that project done for 24 years.”
The rusted-out culvert finally was funded with fish barrier money, Reinders said.
During a September workshop, Reinders described the dire state of road funding and suggested the board consider a Transportation Benefit District (TBD). A public hearing is scheduled for 2 p.m. Dec. 16.
On Tuesday, Linda Herzog of Quilcene said she was excited to see some Quilcene projects in the plan.
“Especially, I’m eager to see some movement on the highway in front of the school, between the school and the peninsula market,” she said. “That’s a really, really important piece for many of us who fear that our kids might get roadkilled between the two places, so thank you.”
The transportation improvement plan includes a yet-to-receive funding project for sidewalks, crosswalks and bicycle lanes connecting a stretch of U.S. Highway 101 between the Quilcene School, the community center and other local businesses.
Amanda Christofferson of Port Townsend commented over Zoom.
“I have looked at the map and I don’t see a countywide safety improvement for the Brinnon area, specifically at milepost 306.41,” she said. “For a long time, the community has requested a crosswalk from Brinnon Lane across 101 there. They believe that the risk for pedestrians from both the park and their community of Brinnon in order to cross the street to access the grocery and fuel is dangerous. They’ve also requested that the speed limit be reduced in this area.”
Christofferson said she has spoken with the state Department of Transportation, staff at Jefferson County Public Works, as well as the Peninsula Regional Transportation Planning Organization.
Jean Ball of Quilcene later said she had spoken with state Sen.-elect Mike Chapman, D-Port Angeles, who said he is in communication with public funding sources, and they are working on coming up with an estimated $450,000 for the project.
Shelley Yarnell of Brinnon also commented on the crosswalk, saying it is “critical.”
Eric Kuzma, deputy director of Public Works, said the Brinnon crossing is a state project, and he added state officials previously said they would find funding for it.
“It’s always sobering when you are confronted with a jurisdictional reality of what we can actually achieve as a county, with the state and private roads at play as well,” Commissioner Heidi Eisenhour said.
Also included in the agenda packet is a 2024 bridge report that has information on 40 county bridges, including 36 that require regular inspection according to federal regulation, a short span and pedestrian bridge, not requiring said inspection, and two permanently closed bridges. The inspection report was required to be used to inform the process of the six-year transportation improvement plan.
For an interactive map of road projects, go to https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/1c0a507adb6645c096989c0919147bf8.
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Reporter Elijah Sussman can be reached by email at elijah.sussman@sequimgazette.com.
