POULSBO — City officials hope three intersections on State Route 305 will be safer after lighting is installed this year.
Poulsbo was notified Friday that it has received a $400,000 state grant to install lighting at State Route 305 at Seminole Road (milepost 9.46), Noll Road (milepost 9.71), and Johnson Road, (milepost 10.12).
The funds are awarded by the state Department of Transportation Highways & Local Programs, and is among $25 million 2013 Quick Response Safety Program grants awarded to local and Tribal governments statewide.
Michael Bateman, senior engineering tech with the City of Poulsbo Engineering Department, said the city is the lead entity on the project.
Bateman said the city, county and state had been talking about the need to install lighting at those intersections and it was agreed Poulsbo would take the lead because “we had the idea and it makes sense … The bulk of the people who come down those roads are our citizens.”
The light poles will be outside city limits, but two of the sites — Johnson Road and Noll Road — are within the city’s Urban Growth Area, eventually to be incorporated into the city.
Bateman said the request for bids will be issued in May. Installation will be completed by October. No traffic disruptions are expected. The grant will cover all costs of construction. The city and county will each contribute $20,000 for the design, Bateman said; the city’s funding will come from the street reserves fund.
Those intersections present some safety issues, Bateman said. “It’s very dark and there have been accidents at those intersections,” he said. “As development in Poulsbo proceeds in that area, there’s going to be increased traffic at those intersections. Plus, Kitsap Transit stops there and there are pedestrians at night.
State Route 305 accommodates 30,000 vehicles a day, Bateman said. Among the most recent crashes:
On Jan. 9, an 82-year-old Poulsbo man and his 13-year-old female passenger were taken to Harrison Medical Center after a two-car collision at State Route 305 and Johnson Road. The collision was reported at 5:57 p.m.
On March 27, 2012, a Port Angeles man died after he was struck by a car on 305 near Seminole Road. He was reportedly walking on the center skip line on 305 and walked into the southbound lane where he was struck by a Honda CRV, at about 9:15 p.m. The driver was not cited.
On Sept. 22, 2011, a man was taken to Harrison Medical Center in Bremerton after a three-car collision on 305 and Seminole Road. Emergency personnel were on the scene at 8:22 a.m.
