PORT ANGELES — U.S. Highway 101 is all clear between Port Angeles and Sequim, but the project still has ground to cover.
The state Department of Transportation on Saturday opened all four lanes of a widened 3.5-mile segment between Kitchen-Dick and Shore roads.
The new alignment and twin bridges over McDonald Creek provide two lanes of travel in each direction for the entire 15-mile stretch between Lincoln Street in Port Angeles and River Road in Sequim.
“We believe that it not only adds capacity, it improves people’s mobility,” Transportation spokeswoman Claudia Bingham Baker said.
“It will be a safer roadway and help make the community a nicer place to live.”
But the $60.5 million project, which began in January 2013, is by no means finished.
Crews will add a final layer of asphalt and restripe the surface when warm, dry weather returns next spring or summer.
The state hired Scarsella Bros. of Kent to perform the construction under a $28 million contract. The remainder of the state and federal funds used in the project went toward right of way property acquisition, design and environmental review.
Although state officials had hoped to have work wrapped up by the end of this year, Baker said the project is contractually on time and on budget.
Competition for subcontractors contributed to the project taking longer than Transportation officials had expected.
Some merchants, including Olympic Restaurant Equipment Inc. owner Eric Schwartz, have complained about the project’s impacts on their business.
In an interview last month, Schwartz said the winding work has blocked access to his business and resulted in a 70 percent decrease in showroom sales.
He was not immediately available for comment Monday.
Baker said the Transportation officials will do “everything we can” to maintain access to businesses, which remain open.
She added that the highway widening project is noteworthy because it adds capacity.
“That type of project is getting more and more rare in our tight fiscal times,” Baker said.
The 45 mph temporary speed limit remains in effect through the construction zone.
Transportation officials will consider raising the speed limit at some point this winter.
“We will watch it and give people a chance to adapt,” Baker said.
Crews will be working throughout the winter, with some lane closures planned.
The final layer of asphalt will be added sometime after April when the weather warms up. The timing will depend on the weather, Baker said.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5072, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.