BREMERTON — The City of Bremerton received a Washington State Transportation Improvement Board grant for nearly $5 million to reconstruct Lebo Boulevard.
The renovations go from Lower Wheaton Way to Sheridan Road on Lebo, a 1.1-mile stretch originally built in the 1950s. The City sought public input on the renovations at two public meetings in early 2016 and through an online open house. From that, a design scope was developed, and the City hired SCJ Alliance, an engineering firm, to design the improvements.
The Washington State Transportation Improvement Board (TIB) funds high priority transportation projects in communities throughout the state to enhance the movement of people, goods and services. Funding for TIB’s grant programs comes from revenue generated by three cents of the statewide gas tax. The TIB awarded the City of Bremerton $4,942,722 for the Lebo Boulevard Improvement Project.
The current design direction includes:
— Roadway cross sections developed for sections of road to maximize parking;
— Standard 6-foot sidewalks and bike lanes on the inland side of the roadway;
— Combined-use pathways on the water side of the roadway;
— New pedestrian luminaries and utility poles located at back of walk;
— Regulatory speed information is proposed as MMA markings on the street at 750-feet intervals;
— No parking signs (as needed) will be located at back of walk;
— Bulb outs for traffic calming have been included at the intersections.
This provides a location to place stop signs and street name and recreational/way-finding information out of the shared use space.
“What we found is, people wanted lights,” said Jerry Hauth, project manager, at the Feb. 22 public meeting. “Parking was the most important thing across the board; it had by far the most advocates. Bike lanes were popular. We took all of those parameters and tried to put them into what would make sense to us as a project.”
The final design will be completed by February 2017, after which the project will go to bid. Construction will take place in 2017, as well.
According to a press release from the City, the engineering firm is currently conducting geotechnical investigations, which will determine the quality of the road bed underneath the concrete. Over the next several weeks, staff and technicians may be on site performing tests in the roadway.
“This is a wonderful project that builds on our bridge-to-bridge urban trail concept,” said Bremerton Mayor Patty Lent in a press release from earlier this year, “and in addition, provides a new, modern street along one of the most beautiful areas of our city.
“This project will connect our citizens to our waterfront, including Lion’s Park, and builds on the prior work completed by the city on Lower Wheaton Way and Washington Avenue.”
For more information, vist www.bremertonwa.gov/973/Lebo-Boule vard-Road-Improvements.
