The City of Bremerton is looking to expedite the process of installing a curb that would prohibit a left turn on Kitsap Way into the entrance of Walgreens and Starbucks.

The c-curb would replace the turn lane and prevent drivers from turning through two lanes of traffic in order to get into the parking lot. The location has seen a number of close calls and was the site of a recent Bremerton Police K-9 unit vehicle collision in November.

“It’s a safety issue and we’d like to improve the safety in that area,” City of Bremerton Public Works Director Tom Knuckey said.

The city has had this proposed installation on their radar for a couple years and was originally part of a project that was scheduled for construction in 2021, according to Knuckey. With all the recent near misses and the BPD K-9 unit collision, that process was brought forward to minimize any potential collisions as quickly as possible.

“We just decided to move it up because it’s really not a high-cost item,” Knuckey said.

The cost of the project is estimated to be between $3,000 and $4,000 and should only take about a day’s worth of work. The city has coordinated with the Washington State Department of Transportation since Kitsap Way is a state route. According to Knuckey, WSDOT has given the ok for the improvements and now the city must do some coordination with the adjacent property owners before the curb installation occurs.

“We don’t have a firm schedule,” Knuckey said. “(It’s) probably going to be sometime in early January.”