PORT ORCHARD — With the gain comes some pain.

On Tuesday, Feb. 20, the Tremont Street widening project enters a new phase that will affect traffic on this busy arterial with a series of detours directing drivers around a closed section of the road that connects Port Orchard with State Route 16.

The road stretch from South Kitsap Boulevard through Roland Avenue and at Pottery Avenue to the intersection of Alder Lane and Tremont Place will be closed, necessitating two-way detours around the impacted roadway.

Traffic that normally flows through the closed stretch will instead be rerouted via detours using South Kitsap Boulevard to Pottery Avenue, May Street West, Roland Avenue and Tremont Place. The City of Port Orchard’s public works department said Feb. 15 that there will be limited access to local businesses and residences on Tremont between Pottery and Kitsap Boulevard.

Pottery Avenue also will be affected by the phase 2 work. The section from Tremont to the intersection of Alder Lane and Tremont Place will be closed to make way for water and sewer lines, and then construction of a two-lane roundabout at the intersection of Tremont and Pottery. A second roundabout will then be built at South Kitsap Boulevard.

A rock wall also will be built in tandem with new bus stops and landscaping. In addition to adding two roundabouts and widening Tremont from two to four lanes, the project will include safety and traffic improvements, new bike lanes, and curbs and sidewalks, all to be completed during phase 3.

Private car commuters won’t be the only ones affected by the detours. Kitsap Transit is rerouting its Tremont Route 4 buses, which normally service three stops in the vicinity, to Roland Avenue, south of Tremont, where two stops will pick up and drop off passengers during the phase 2 work.

As is the case with all road construction work, motorists are advised to drive with caution and obey onsite flaggers as they redirect traffic through the construction maze.

The approximately $21 million construction project is expected to be completed by lead contractor Active Construction in spring 2019.

The City of Port Orchard’s website has a Tremont project update page (tremontstreetwidening.com/constructionupdates) so that residents can keep track of construction updates.