POULSBO — Beverly Lyon never thought she would be waiting 18 years for 7th Avenue to be extended through State Route 305 and into the Poulsbo Village when she first became its property manager in 1989. But indeed she did, and now as city officials prepare to get the road work done, Lyon is ecstatic.

“I think it’s definitely going to be positive for the merchants here,” she said. “A lot of the local customers are going to find it’s a much more direct route.”

Bidding for the project opens Aug. 27, and city assistant public works director Andrzej Kasiniak said he expects a contract to be awarded at the Sept. 5 city council meeting, which would allow construction to begin sometime in late September.

“The majority of construction will be completed in October,” he said of the project, which he expects to take about six weeks. Finishing up the roadway’s final details may extend to the first few days of November, but for the most part, Poulsbo Village customers have just a short wait before access to one of the area’s largest shopping centers becomes much easier.

Lyon said the issue of extending 7th Avenue has often come up with Poulsbo Village business owners throughout the years.

“It’s long overdue,” she said. “I think it’s going to be great.”

Sport Haus owner Paulette Huifingh said she, too, thinks the extension will have positive ramifications.

“Anytime the access is easier, that will be beneficial,” she said. “I would expect it would be a good thing.”

Six Star Variety Store owner Jim Whyte said he’s anticipating the improved access to his business, as well as the smoother flow of traffic leaving it.

“Getting out at four or five o’clock in the afternoon, when you get down to the four-way stop sign down there, you have to sit and wait for the traffic light to change,” he said. “It gets clogged up rather frequently.”

Improving in and outbound traffic is something he feels will be a plus.

“We’re all looking forward to that,” he said. “I think it’s going to help business quite a bit.”

The 7th Avenue extension work comes in conjunction with the Washington State Department of Transportation’s SR 305 widening project, which is expected to wrap up around the same time.

“We’re still keeping our fingers crossed for the October finish,” said WSDOT construction engineer George Titterness.

The SR 305 project recently shut down SR 307, also known as Bond Road, for five-days, and while there were a few “less than happy” commuters, Titterness said overall the department’s culvert installation was a success.

“I think the Bond Road closure went very well considering the nature of the work and the timeframe we had to do it in,” he said. “Everyone will be pleased once they see the new structure that’s in place. The fish are going to be much happier.”

For more information about the SR 305 widening project, visit www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/SR305/PoulsboSouthtoBondRd/.