Olympia's Engineering Department Project Manager Jim Rioux unveiled plans for two road improvement projects affecting access to the Karen Fraser Woodland Trail.
At the Wednesday, September 20 Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) meeting, Rioux provided an overview of the projects and sought committee members' recommendations to spread the information to trail users about the initiatives.
Reconstruction plans for Fones Road from Pacific Avenue to 18th Avenue are underway, according to Rioux, who said the city plans to add sidewalks and separated bike lanes while maintaining the same number of automobile lanes.
The separated bike lanes will begin at the Woodland Park Trail, extending to approximately 17th Way SE, 300 feet north of 18th Avenue.
A compact roundabout will be constructed at the south entrance of the Home Depot store at 1325 Fones Road.
Rioux said the Fones Road improvement project faced an acquisition process, which set the project back for about six months.
When Olympia Public Works Director Mark Russell presented the project to the city council in October 2022, he said they plan to start construction by summer this year.
The project has secured approximately $6 million in federal and state grants.
The federal funds have obligated Olympia to undergo multiple processes, including eminent domain, which the city council opened a public hearing for.
Eminent domain is the right of the government to take private property and convert it to public use, such as roads. Condemnation is the process by which a government agency can exercise this power. The Fifth Amendment requires the government to pay landowners "just compensation."
Russell revealed that about 5,000 people live within a half-mile or 10-minute walk to Fones Road.
In updating the committee members, Rioux said they hope to commence the two-year construction project in the spring of 2024. "That is a big impact on the community to be in a construction project for two years."
According to Rioux, Boulevard Trail Crossing is another project that would impact people's ability to access the Woodland Park Trail.
The project's focus is improving the crossing at Boulevard Road, where it passes over I-5.
Rioux said they plan to build a raised crosswalk on the northern side of the project area.
It includes an elevated crosswalk, an improved bike ramp, and new amenities.
At the south end of the bridge, they will install a crosswalk that will provide better access to the I-5 trail. The project manager mentioned that one important amenity to be added is a bulb out to reduce the crossing distance at Wheeler Avenue.
"It is my understanding that a request from ORLA (Olympia Regional Learning Academy) to improve the walking path across Wheeler was one of the major motivations for the Department of Transportation to put this project together and hand it off to Engineering to construct," Rioux said.
The city obtained a state grant for the Boulevard Trail Crossing project. The Engineering Department has submitted a request to the Washington State Department (WSDOT) to move the project to construction.
Rioux said they hope to advertise the project in October and expect to have a contractor in December.
The timeline for construction is between December to March 2024.
"While there are some challenges associated with winter construction, it does put us out there in a time where we would expect the trail used to be significantly less. I use the trail quite a bit in the summer, much less than in the winter. So that works somewhat to our advantage," Rioux told the committee.
During the construction phase, Rioux said people can expect temporary closures of access points where construction is taking place.
The project manager explained the access to the I-5 trail at Boulevard will be closed for up to two weeks. They will provide alternate routes.
In addition, a small retaining wall will be constructed, requiring closure of up to five weeks for the link to Union Avenue.
Rioux said the plan is to keep the road closures to a minimum for the Fones Road project. They would close either east of the west entrance when it is necessary.
Bike users may be asked to dismount or use gravel bypass trails, which would be constructed, to prevent inconvenience.
But when paving the road, they must close the access point for at least a day or three days.
"We have not put anything specific in the contract. It is best to let the contractor come up with a solution and work with us. Once we have that solution, we can communicate with the public what the impacts of that solution are going to be," Rioux added.
Rioux told the committee members that the project team would proactively use social media, do press releases, and send information through emails. But his target is to get the information to people who are using the trail.
BPAC committee member Sean Ferguson suggested putting signage on the trail, saying people are paying attention to it.
Another committee member, Tom Dillon, asked for detour signages similar to those used for cars. He prefers seeing signs indicating alternative routes rather than saying a section is closed.
Committee member Jennifer Reidmayer recommended utilizing different state agencies, reaching out to various state agencies, like the Washington State Department of Ecology, which has sustainable officers that could act as channels for communicating updates and information to people who may be affected by the project. She also suggested reaching out to cyclists and runner groups.
Committee member Marty Slighte asked about plans regarding sidewalks during construction and what measures will be taken to ensure wheelchair accessibility.
"When there is construction, it is willy-nilly whether the contractor thinks about a wheelchair. 80% of the time, it is not,” Slighte commented. “It gets very frustrating being a wheelchair user. Please make sure that the signage is also on sidewalks and also considers the needs of the disabled population."
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here