— by Margie Doyle —
Hard at work repairing the emergency vehicle access to Eastsound’s Village Green
This week, Mike Carlson’s company started work to improve the Emergency Vehicle access to the Village Green. This is the beginning of a number of road projects set to begin on Orcas Island.
At recent County Council Meetings and at the Public Works Open House earlier this month, County Public Works and Engineering staff displayed the plans and process for other road, sidewalk, stormwater and parking improvements on Orcas Island.
Plans to renovate the emergency vehicle approach to the Eastsound Village Green
For the Eastsound Village Green project, Carlson has signed a $33,000 contract with the county to improve the Emergency Vehicle lane access to the Village Green. The existing access point was described as an “afterthought;” now the sidewalk is cracking under the heavy weight of emergency and Farmers Market vendor vehicles entering the Green from North Beach Road. The design for the improvements comes from the Eastsound Planning Review Committee (EPRC), which expedited the process for working with County Public Works so that the work could be completed before the Farmers Market opens this spring. Carlson’s contract does not include landscaping and site amenities.
Rachel Dietzman, County Engineer, spoke before the County Council on March 31 to review many of the projects that were on display at the Public Works Open House on Thursday, April 2.
Dietzman reported on other Orcas Island Public Works projects:
Deer Harbor Bridge replacement has been delayed for right-of-way acquisition and permitting. At the March 31 Council meeting in Eastsound, questions were asked about impacts for this project, especially silt movement and soil contamination. Dietzman said “There will be a controlled release of the silt so we can monitor and make sure we’re not creating problems downstream.” The bridge is a mitigation project, Dietzman reminded the Council
Prune Alley Complete Streets project will begin work on completion in May with the assistance of Colin Huntemer, County Senior Project Engineer. County Manager Mike Thomas announced that the county has applied for a State Department of Ecology grant for the Prune Alley and Fern Street Extension projects. “We should know by July if we’re successful in funding for that grant,” he said.
Embankment sluffing near the West Sound road intersection has created a “slump” that Public Works is now addressing
Deer Harbor “Slump” to the west of Crow Valley-Deer Harbor road intersection will be remedied. Plans to shore up the deteriorating shoreline roadside are 80% completed. The work will be monitored for archeological concerns, Dietzman said, and rebuilding the road while keeping it open to traffic will be very expensive.
Deer Harbor Road guardrail bids were opened to install guardrails on the north-sound portion of the shoreline road were opened April 3. Senator Kevin Ranker acquired state funding for this projects and Dietzman said, “We hope to do the contract phase lickety split.”
Paving of Senior Center parking lot is planned for this August. The paving will be part asphalt and part chip seal asphalt. Purchase of the chipseal was bundled with the Cattle Point Road project on San Juan Island.
Buck Bay Bridge was described as a “little” project to protect the bridge abutment on the “almost 90-degree curve.” The work will help re-route the stream at the bridge.
Orcas Road from McNallie Road to Nordstrom Lane will undergo final design work in May, with construction planned for early 2017. Funding for the project has been delayed as have acquisition on properties adjacent to the road. The design was voted upon at public meetings, with a curvilinear modification for the corners at Swan Road and Nordstrom Lane being favored.
At the Council meet on Orcas, Council member Rick Hughes said he would advocate staying as close to the existing roads as possible. He also pointed out that McNallie Lane is the turnoff for a bicycling approach to Eastsound and that there is no need to do major work there. “I have huge concerns about the 20-ft. setbacks on either side” of the planned road improvement, he said.
West Beach culvert project will repair a stormwater outlet just south of West Beach Road with the help of $263,000 funding from Surfrider, a non-profit environmental organization.
Eastsound stormwater activities: Council member Bob Jarman credited Gulliver Rankin for his work on the county’s Stormwater Committee: “As he’s leaving [Rankin is retiring from the committee this spring], finally Gulliver will see us doing some work… he’s accomplished getting sorely needed stormwater improvements in Eastsound.” The plans call for looking at state funding to improve stormwater connections in Prune Alley and Madrona Street.
Market Street, which runs east and west at the south side of Island Market, is also slated for a drainage system project, which County Manager Mike Thomas described as “a key backbone to the system.”
parked cars increase traffic danger on Orcas Road by the ferry landing
Other plans on display at the April 2 Open House in Eastsound are the Park and Ride lot planned to the north of current ferry parking lanes at Orcas Landing. The property will address the safety hazards of long-term vehicle parking on Orcas Road.
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Re: New Driveway Entry into Village Green…please note that this work does NOT reduce the number of diagonal parking spaces fronting on the VG…and, although the Carlson contract does not include landscaping, my understanding is that the County will provide funding for a major tree and associated landscaping; the selection and installation of plants will be done under the guidance of Michael Budnick and Robin Kucklick…look for notice calling for volunteers to assist!
I’m glad to see them trying to address the hazard at the ferry lot bend. The parking itself doesn’t really cause the problem. The root cause is excessive speed in a posted 20mph area. The parking just exacerbates the problem.
We will still have the problem of the large tractor trailer combinations moving through this area at too great of a speed. They are in a rush to make their deliveries in time to get back to their scheduled return ferry. Last week, had I been about a few seconds ahead of where I was, I would have had to choose between being hit by a tractor trailer or running off the road into a tree. The driver was more than half way across my lane in the corner. We’ve already had a significant injury crash at pump corner. How many more crashes do we need before we get the truck drivers to slow down.
Deer Harbor bridge is a “mitigation project”? Three million dollars to mitigate what, exactly? A highly questionable finding that the existing bridge is dangerous? We don’t need a bridge that can accommodate two trucks at the same time. But that won’t stop the steamroller.
Deer Harbor Bridge is a mitigation project to help restore the estuary. It has been dying ever since the current poorly designed bridge was built.
Thank you so much for the change at the Green! This helps so many in wheelchairs,scooters and walkers!
Deer Harbor Bridge is being built with designated bridge funds, not restoration funds. Again, three million dollars.