By Stan Matthews
County Communications Program Manager
Design work, permitting, and right-of-way acquisition are underway on the Orcas Island Mt. Baker Road and Trail Improvement project. The design is 60% complete and environmental permitting will get underway next month. Construction is scheduled for next year.
San Juan County received a $2.56 million dollar Rural Arterial Trust Account (RATA) grant from the state to help pay for design, right of way acquisition, and construction. An additional Federal Transportation Enhancement grant of $88,000 was received for the adjacent trail project. The Public Works Department is looking for additional funding for constructing both the trail and road through Federal Surface Transportation Program (STP) funding and other sources.
The project widens Mt Baker Road from 20 feet to 30 feet from the intersection with North Beach Road to the intersection with Terrill Beach Road. There will be two 11-foot lanes with 4-foot shoulders. The Terrill Beach Road intersection will be improved to enhance sight distance for vehicles turning left across Mt Baker Road to Terrill Beach Road.
Drainage will be improved by replacing cross culverts, raising the road in places, and improving or installing ditches. Narrow Area Vegetated Filter Strips for filtration and treatment will improve stormwater quality.
A 5-foot wide gravel pedestrian trail will be built from North Beach Road to the Terrill Beach Road pond where it may be extended to a future Land Bank interpretive trail. Compensatory wetland mitigation will be undertaken on the Land Bank’s Stonebridge Preserve which will enhance and rehabilitate approximately five acres of existing degraded wetlands.
This project will complete the work which began over 15 years ago when Mt. Baker Road was designated as truck bypass route around Eastsound. Previous improvements to Mt. Baker Road between Lovers Lane and North Beach Road were completed in 1997.
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