Tracyton, Newberry, Anderson and Randall are top local priorities

Central Kitsap will be a hotbed for road construction in 2002, when a number of projects are scheduled to commence.

The Kitsap County Commissioners recently approved the Department of Public Works’ six-year transportation improvement program, which included eight Central Kitsap projects in its top-15 priority list. Three of DPW’s top five projects are located here.

Among the key projects scheduled to start next year:

• Randall Way — As part of the state routes 3/303 interchange project, Public Works is add an additional lane on Randall Way, to improve traffic flows on Kitsap Mall Boulevard.

“This helps the movement through the interchange and will clear up traffic at the intersection of Randall Way and Kitsap Mall Boulevard,” Public Works Director Randy Casteel said.

Two lanes of Kitsap Mall Boulevard would turn left onto Randall; the new lane would be a mandatory right turn into the mall parking lot, in a change designed to allow quicker access to the shopping center.

Those wishing to continue on to Silverdale Way would have to merge into the existing lane.

“The design is 100 percent complete,” Project Manager Jon Brand said. “I’m really anxious to get it built but we haven’t secured the right-of-way from the (Kitsap) mall yet.”

• Newberry Hill Road — Work on a climbing lane on Newberry Hill Road from Provost to Dickey roads is expected to begin in 2002.

“This is one of our highest priorities,” Brand said of the $1.5 million project, ranked third in the 2002-2007 Transportation Improvement Program.

The lane is the second phase of an ongoing project which included construction of a concrete retaining wall in 1999.

• Tracyton Boulevard — Traffic-calming features on Tracyton Boulevard between Bucklin Hill and Fairgrounds roads recently cleared a federal environmental hurdle. Construction is expected to begin next summer.

“This is a prototype project, as we haven’t done anything like this before,” Brand said.

The $565,000 project would include traffic circles, medians and speed tables. Brand said the department is working with utility companies to determine which power and telephone poles need to be moved to allow for parts of Tracyton Boulevard to be widened.

Critics of the project say traffic will avoid Tracyton Boulevard and be forced onto other roads, such as Nels Nelson and Central Valley.

Brand said that he wasn’t sure if that would happen but “it’ll be interesting to see how much traffic is diverted.”

• Anderson Hill Road — A $1.3 million, 130-foot-long bridge spanning Anderson Creek is designed and ready to be built just east of Rising Hill Lane near Anderson Landing Park.

“We’re pretty much ready to go,“ Brand said, adding the county only needs to secure on more piece of property for the right-of-way to begin work this spring.

Brand said the bridge will replace an existing culvert and allow for improved fish passage from Hood Canal to spawning grounds upstream.

Traffic in west Central Kitsap will be affected by the closure.

“That (Anderson Hill) road will be closed for months,” he said.

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