POULSBO — Kitsap Transit has long eyed the corner of Highway 305 and Viking Way for an expanded transit facility, including a park-and-ride for commuters.

Those plans will soon become a reality.

“There will be a park-and-ride and new transfer center and some expanded improvement to the facility there,” said John Clauson, executive director of Kitsap Transit.

“We have an operating facility there. We’re are going to make some improvements to that facility and also construct a park-and-ride.”

The park-and-ride will offer commuters the ability to step out of their car and onto a bus.

“A park-and-ride is essentially a free parking lot available with the intent for people to come there, park, and get onto a bus to travel to their ultimate destination,” Clauson said. “Or to meet up and transfer into a carpool or something like that.”

The intersection of Highway 305 and Viking Way is largely undeveloped. It is located near access to Highway 3 and close to bus lines that run south to Silverdale.

Kitsap Transit aims to establish its park-and-ride on the northeast corner of the intersection — slightly north of the intersection, on the east side of Viking Way.

The intersection is on the routes of bus lines 33, 43 and 90.

Kitsap Transit has eyed the location for a park-and-ride for a number of years, though recently it acquired the necessary grant funding to make it possible, Clauson said.

“Our expectation is to have (a) conditional use permit by the latter part of this year,” Clauson said. “Then we will go through the final design phase, and we hope to go into construction by spring of next year.”

Once completed, the facility will be added to the 24 park-and-rides Kitsap Transit offers throughout the county. Five such facilities are located in Poulsbo.