It looks like cyclists could get their 12-foot-wide path on the upgraded Warren Avenue Bridge, while the other side could be upgraded to just an 8-foot-wide path.
That idea came up just days before the Bremerton City Council’s last meeting, and it passed on a 4-2 controversial vote.
The bridge, built in 1958, fares well enough with vehicular traffic, but there is not enough space on the sides for both pedestrians and cyclists. Furthermore, the 3 1/2-foot-wide pathways on both sides of the bridge do not meet Americans with Disability Act requirements. It’s nearly impossible for those in wheelchairs to travel the length of the bridge.
Several indicators going into the Aug. 3 meeting had pointed to the passing of Resolution 3362, endorsing a preferred alternative design that would include 10-foot pathways on both sides of the bridge, each including two overlooks. A second alternative, including 12-foot pathways on both sides, was set to be selected as an additive bid item.
However, cyclists recently have given their increased support for at least a 12-foot path for them on one side of the bridge.
“Safety is more important than symmetry,” 73-year-old Dianne Iverson told the council. As a bilateral amputee, she believes even the extension to 10 feet is not enough for more-fragile walkers to feel protected.
An email from council president Jeff Coughlin on July 31 entered the idea of Resolution 3363. Language prioritized Alternative X, a design calling for a 12-foot pathway on one side and an 8-foot path on the other with room to grow as allowed by the project budget.
Councilwoman Denise Frey officially shook the table, announcing she would “mix things up” by moving to adopt the resolution. Furthermore, she said she had been caught up in recent meetings with the idea of the aesthetics of equal sides and was disappointed that groups like West Sound Cycling Club had not been called on as an expert.
Speaking on the side of cyclists, she said: “Ten feet isn’t going to cut it. Let’s do the twelve feet on one side, and the eight feet (on the other), which might not be the ten that we would love to have on that side, but it’s better than five.”
The resolution passed with Councilmembers Jennifer Chamberlin and Eric Younger voting no and Michael Goodnow abstaining. The vote was close not so much as it was unfavored, but more because it came out of the blue. The project team hasn’t had a chance to develop even a rough estimate of the cost, creating a high-risk high-reward senario.
Coughlin had stated his support of the 12-foot and 8-foot designs in weeks prior and said again that 12 feet appears to be the standard in modern-day projects. “I don’t think we’re meeting the scope of this project and what this money was intended for by the legislature if we don’t have at least twelve feet on one side, and council has thought that for a number of years,” he said.
Chamberlin called out Coughlin and Frey for the change, believing the cost to be over the $26.5 million available and too risky in the long run. “It’s a lot of money that we don’t have covered, and if we can’t even get a toilet downtown, I’m sorry. It’s just ridiculous to me. This did not go through the proper process,” she said.
Goodnow followed the comments by calling out the entire body’s lack of transparency as the printed agenda reflected only Resolution 3362, with Resolution 3363 being a late addition to the packet. “I don’t necessarily have a problem with the eight and twelve, but I feel like my stomach’s kind of in a knot that we just did not go through the normal way that we do this,” he said.
But overall, people seemed to be enthused about the project. “I’m excited about the future of Bremerton and our entire peninsula as we begin to redefine our transportation options,” Sharon Budd said. “Make those improvements safe enough so people like me will venture out on our roads.”
Amanda Rodgers, a city employee, talked about the importance of having wider lanes. She recalled an instance when she was running on the narrow walkway of the bridge when she was nearly blocked by an aggressive person. Believing the person to be a threat to her safety, she was ultimately able to slip by and keep running, though the encounter has left her unable to run the path alone and without a cell phone. “If the man I’d encountered had been a little bigger or a little stronger, I’m not sure what would have happened. Up until this incident, I’d been lucky and never had a problem running alone,” she said.
