SILVERDALE — Business owners along a 1,200-foot-long stretch of Silverdale Way that will be widened are worried that the road work will keep customers away and hurt business. The issue was one of serveral topics discussed at a Silverdale Chamber of Commerce March 14 business meeting on the road project.

The project calls for improving safety and capacity on a section of Silverdale Way between NW Byron Street to NW Anderson Hill Road. The road will be widened to five lanes and include eight-foot sidewalks. Construction will begin in May 2017, and should require one year to complete.

Gunnar Fridriksson, capital improvements project manager for Kitsap County answered many questions that business people at the meeting asked.

Will the street be closed? No, portions of the road will be closed, but traffic flow will always be maintained at some level. Business access will be kept open at all times. Business owners should provide a schedule (vacation time, etc.) to the county, so that their schedule can be written into the road contract. The county wants to make sure businesses survive during the time the road is rebuilt.

How will a the appearance of the design be chosen? An online survey and vote will be held to choose design elements.

Will Strawberry Creek be affected? Not now. A culvert or bridge may be needed there at some point.

Will the entire length of Silverdale Way be upgraded, or will the improved sidewalks be “sidewalks to nowhere”? Once this 1,200-foot section is improved, another section of Silverdale Way either to the north or south of the area will be upgraded next.

Will plants be watered and maintained? The goal is to make it look like University Place.

Will Silverdale Way be affected at the same time as road work on Bayshore Drive? No.

Will power lines be buried? Transmission main lines will not be buried, but smaller lines could be. Burying lines costs more money.

Fridriksson said the county expected more people would visit the area once the road is rebuilt, since it would be more friendly and more walkable.

Fridriksson also asked what people thought of when they thought of Old Town, so that a logo for the area could go on street signs. People suggested “family,” “cute shops,” “old storefronts” and “the waterfront.”

Also discussed at the meeting, the Bucklin Hill Bridge will be open in July, and the Jenne-Wright school building will be sold within 20 years.