CARLSBORG — An environmental assessment of an $82.9 million, 3.5-mile project to widen U.S. Highway 101 to four lanes between Shore and Kitchen-Dick roads will be the subject of a Thursday open house.
The open house will start at 4:30 p.m. at Greywolf Elementary School, 171 Carlsborg Road.
Construction on the project is expected to begin in summer 2012 and be completed that fall.
The state Department of Transportation recently completed its environmental assessment of the project and found no significant effects.
The final conclusion on the report will be made by the Federal Highway Administration after the environmental assessment is issued, an environmental hearing is held and comments received from the public, agencies and tribes are given consideration.
Thursday’s open house will provide an opportunity for the public to hear about highlights of the report and provide feedback.
Transportation is accepting public comments on the environmental assessment until March 31.
The project would add an additional lane in each direction of U.S. Highway 101, creating a continuous four-lane divided highway between Sequim and Port Angeles.
“For the most part, there won’t be a lot of [traffic] interruptions,” project engineer Steve Fuchs said.
“The traffic volumes are so high on that road that we won’t be restricting 101 during daylight hours.”
Fuchs said if traffic has to be delayed, it will be done during evening hours to have the least impact on motorists.
The additional lanes are expected to help alleviate congestion for the 19,000 vehicles that travel the route daily.
Indirect left-turn lanes across opposing traffic would be changed or added.
An indirect left turn at Kitchen-Dick Road would be moved to the west near the top of the hill to make it safer in heavy traffic or icy conditions.
A left-turn lane would be added on Highway 101 for Kirk Road to provide better access to Atterberry Road and from South Boyce Road.
A left turn would be added to the highway at Shore Road to accommodate traffic.
A widened median is intended to reduce the potential for head-on crashes.
The McDonald Creek Bridge on 101 between Barr Road and Sherburne Road would be renovated.
Old timber-trestle creosote pilings now supporting the bridge would be removed and the bridge replaced by two two-lane spans of 300 feet, Fuchs said.
A path under the two bridges would be added to provide a safe pedestrian crossing at McDonald Creek.
The actual roadwork would be mostly south of the existing highway, Fuchs said, shifting to the north side about 1,000 feet east of the Dryke-Pierson roads’ 101 intersection, tying in with the existing four-lane highway east of Kitchen-Dick Road.
That will allow preservation of some Owl Creek wetlands just west of Kitchen-Dick Road and south of the existing highway, he said.
In addition to the open house, comments will be accepted at http://tinyurl.com/4sxugvv or at 360-570-6660 or 888-323-7732.
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Sequim-Dungeness Valley Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-681-2391 or at jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com.
