Bremerton bears planning costs for Warren Ave Bridge project
The design process of the Warren Avenue Bridge project has once again encountered an obstacle, but this time it could lead to an abrupt halt to the project.
Budget constraints related to the potential repeal of the Climate Commitment Act in November forced the Bremerton City Council in April to adjust the multimodal project’s design to 12- and 5-foot-wide walkways on the east and west sides of the bridge, respectively, after the original two 12-foot-wide walkways had already been reduced to 12 and 8 feet a year ago.
Now the bridge’s design plans are in jeopardy after the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) notified the City of Bremerton that it could no longer fulfill its part of the participation agreement to provide the design, for which the city would pay $245,000.
“(N)ot one of us knew that the decision-making timeline on this project would extend to nearly three years,” a WSDOT construction manager wrote in an email to city engineer Shane Weber on Aug. 8. “The workload and staffing levels, particularly of the experienced bridge designers required for a project such as Warren Avenue, have reached a point where WSDOT can no longer commit to performing the structural design work on this project.”
Faced with a slew of pedestrian and bicycle transportation projects, limited funding and citizen calls for stronger multimodal infrastructure in the city, Mayor Greg Wheeler is desperately trying to re-engage the state agency before the flagging project runs out of time and money.
Costs for expansion of Warren Ave Bridge rise
Five days after WSDOT’s withdrawal, Wheeler sent an email to Richard Zeldenhurst, the city’s construction director, urging the agency to “reconsider its position and fulfill its obligation.”
“As you know, the goal of the SR 303 Pedestrian Improvement Project is to eliminate the ADA barrier on WSDOT’s Warren Avenue Bridge by creating a multimodal connection between east and west Bremerton,” Wheeler wrote. “The regional importance of this project is demonstrated by the strong legislative support that enabled the City to secure $26.5 million for the design and construction of the project.”
WSDOT’s withdrawal has created an indefinite funding gap in the city that cannot be filled, Wheeler continued, adding that the project’s costs are expected to rise by $1 million annually due to inflation caused by supply chain issues and rising construction material prices.
“The delays are killing us,” Wheeler said. “They’re killing this project.”
The city is moving forward as if everything is business as usual, but under the pressure of the ticking clock. The City Council approved a modification to the contract with SCJ Alliance for civil engineering design, which is separate from the structural design process. This increased the value of the contract to over $1.1 million and extended the contract through the end of 2028. These extended costs and timelines are well within the city’s capabilities, according to Wheeler, and give WSDOT time to begin structural design in a year, as expected.
Wheeler hopes that after talks with WSDOT staff next week, he can convince WSDOT to back out. But if WSDOT persists, there are few alternatives.
WSDOT offered to hire a consultant to do the construction design, directing and reviewing the work itself, but that could triple the cost and the city is not in a position to pay that price, Wheeler said. If WSDOT still cannot be rehired, it will be up to the city council to ask for alternative solutions to reallocate funds, which could come at the expense of other city projects.
“We hope we don’t have to have this conversation,” Wheeler said.
More transportation projects in Bremerton are coming
The Warren Avenue Bridge is not the only multimodal project currently under construction.
The city is close to completing construction on its $8 million roundabout project at 11th Street and Washington Avenue at the mouth of the Manette Bridge. Construction began in February and was originally scheduled to be completed in August, but was delayed due to supply chain issues, said Vicki Grover of the city’s engineering department.
The project will create dedicated bike lanes so that cyclists do not have to share the lane with cars. In addition, broken or poorly maintained sidewalks will be replaced with wider walkways, which will benefit pedestrians, according to the city’s project website.
The city will also widen and repave sidewalks and add dedicated bike lanes as part of its bike and pedestrian improvement project along Naval Avenue from 1st to 15th streets. According to its project page, the city is currently completing 90% of the planning and received a $1.04 million grant from the Puget Sound Regional Council in December 2023.
Preliminary design work is also currently being completed on the Sixth Street Active Traffic Improvement Project, which will convert the 6th Street corridor from four to three lanes as part of a “road diet.” Improvements will also include bike lanes that will be extended from Kitsap Way to Washington Avenue.
The city will also be reviewing possible future projects in the coming weeks and is asking the public for suggestions for its efforts. You can find more current city transport projects on the city’s project page.
Making transport projects sustainable
The city has published a web map of its pedestrian and bicycle priority networks where citizens can leave comments.
Web users can view the city’s road, path and trail network on the web map. Color coding indicates priorities for future bicycle and pedestrian projects over the next 20 years. Users can select locations and streets they would like to comment on to help the city determine where improvements need to be made for cyclists and pedestrians.
The input will feed into the city’s 2044 Comprehensive Plan and update the Active Transportation Plan to improve bicyclist and pedestrian safety in Bremerton. Once the two plans are finalized, the pedestrian and bicycle network web map will help the city prioritize projects for funding when it applies for grants in the future.
A public survey of 605 people conducted by the city in March found that respondents cited biking on incomplete or no bike lanes (93%), dangerous driving (83%) and walking on incomplete or no sidewalks (76%) as the biggest barriers to active transportation. The survey also found that respondents said new (42%) and improved (39%) bike lanes would motivate them to bike more often.
Since the web map opened on August 18, comments have poured in showing where residents believe traffic problems are concentrated. Anonymous users have marked Rocky Point Road for new sidewalks, Tracyton Boulevard for more infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists, and a higher priority for cyclists on 6th Street.
Comments are available on the pedestrian and bicycle network web map until 8 September.
