Date:
Friday, July 18, 2008
Contact:
Brenden Clarke, WSDOT Project Engineer, 360-874-3010
Emily Pace, WSDOT Communications, 360-357-2716
PORT ORCHARD – One location remains on SR 16 where traffic crosses the median – the at-grade intersection at Burley Olalla Road in Kitsap County.
At-grade intersections on high-speed, high-volume highways such as SR 16 have high occurrences of collisions. The intersection at Burley Olalla Road is no exception.
WSDOT begins a project next week that eliminates this configuration by building SR 16 bridges over the local road. On- and off-ramps also are added as part of this $27 million “Nickel” project. Crews start working Wednesday and Burley Olalla Road closes Friday.
That means no access to or from SR 16 to Burley Olalla Road during the two-year project. Drivers who exit and enter the highway at Burley Olalla Road will need to use alternate routes during the closure.
Emergency vehicles will be able to use Burley Olalla Road during the closure.
“This closure creates a significant inconvenience for Burley area residents, but this is really the only way we can safely complete this project,” said Kevin Dayton, Olympic Region administrator. “I want to thank them in advance for their patience and let them know the improvements we’re making provide a greater level of safety.”
A speed-limit reduction, from 50 mph to 40 mph, will be implemented during construction, and four lanes of traffic will be maintained throughout the project. When the project is completed, the speed limit increases to 60 mph on this stretch of SR 16, traveled by about 42,000 vehicles a day.
The contract on this job is Ceccanti, Inc. of Tacoma. On Wednesday, crews begin clearing alongside the roadway and installing fencing.
Project information online: www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/SR16/BurleyOlalla/.
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