PORT ANGELES — The Port of Port Angeles will begin accepting bids July 13 for stormwater conveyance improvements on Terminal 3, a project expected to cost between $1.3 and $1.6 million.
The project is expected to come in over budget, because the port’s 2016 budget only allocated $1.2 million for the improvements. Port staff expect to make up the extra costs through other projects that won’t be completed this year or will come in under budget, said Chris Hartman, director of engineering.
Hartman said a project at Terminal 1 is expected to come $300,000 under budget and two other delayed projects would make another $465,000 available for the stormwater conveyance improvements.
“The projects that are delayed, we’re still going to have to spend that money,” said Colleen McAleer, port commissioner, expressing concerns that amount of money would still need to be spent in 2017 for the delayed projects.
September estimate
The early estimate for the stormwater conveyance improvements at Terminal 3, which is adjacent to Westport Shipyard and Platypus Marine, was completed last September, according to port documents.
Construction is scheduled to begin Aug. 22 and end Jan. 3, 2017.
Original designs called for piping stormwater under the dock, but the likelihood of maintenance and repair of pipes hanging under the dock would be costly and difficult to perform, port documents say.
The design was changed to focus on surface runoff to convey stormwater back to the upland for collection in underground piping.
Part of the increased costs of the project comes from additional paving of the upland area, which is intended to improve cargo operations and keep stormwater runoff cleaner — requiring less treatment later.
Log trucks currently drive off the pavement onto gravel and back onto pavement, creating constant maintenance of pot holes and sweeping mud from the asphalt.
The added asphalt will allow trucks to stay on pavement.
The board of commissioners will be asked to approve a bid July 25.
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Reporter Jesse Major can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56250, or at jmajor@peninsuladailynews.com.
