With utility lines buried and fresh asphalt laid, the Discovery Road project is well underway and appears to be on schedule, according to city staff.

“The project is being completed in the timeframe that was expected,” said Laura Parsons, project lead and civil engineer for the City of Port Townsend. “It is very difficult to predict the precise schedule of a large construction project because there are many unknowns, including, for example, the influence of weather.”

She said the city anticipates the majority of the project will be completed by the time of the ribbon-cutting ceremony scheduled for June 15.

The project area lies between the Rainier Street roundabout and Salish Coast Elementary School. It is about three quarters of a mile long and includes a portion of divided roadway, sidewalks, a two-lane bikeway, enhanced pedestrian crossings, new street lighting, and new connections with existing bike and pedestrian routes.

The east end of the project will tie into the existing sidewalk and bikeway by Salish Coast Elementary School. The west end will tie into the existing sidewalk and bikeway by the Rainier Street roundabout.

Paving will be done in two phases, with the first phase of paving completed April 10. That paving included two inches of fresh asphalt on the roadway and the bike path from 14th Street to McClellan Street. Sidewalk work was also “mostly complete from McClellan to 14th streets,” Parsons said.

Discovery Road at 14th Street was closed on April 22.

Crews plan to lay the final two inches of asphalt from 14th to McClellan streets and between Rainier and 14th Streets in mid- to late May.  The raised crosswalk at Sherman Street near Salish Coast Elementary also will be installed mid- to late May.

In addition, Parsons said, sidewalk work remains between 14th street and the Rainier Street roundabout, as does bikeway paving between 14th street and the roundabout, construction of a cul-de-sac at 14th Street adjacent to Discovery Road, and landscaping, installation of streetlights, signs, striping, and bus stop shelters.

When paving occurs in late May, drivers can expect delays of up to one hour.

The project will cost about $5.5 million when complete.

“A project of this scale requires many years of planning and a combination of federal, state, and local dollars, all of which are identified specifically for this project,” Parsons said. This project’s grant funding is from the Transportation Improvement Board (TIB), Washington State’s Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Program, and the Regional Surface Transportation Program (STP). The City went through a rigorous grant application process, and could only use the awarded funding for the Discovery Road Project, she said.

According to project materials, the city received grant funding in 2018, 2019 and 2020. The City received state Pedestrian & Bicycle Safety Program funding for $1.4 million and federal Regional Surface Transportation Program (STP) funds for $621,515. The City also received a grant from the state Transportation Improvement Board (TIB) for $2.5 million.  The City match, including utility funding, brings the current total project budget to $5.5 million.

“With $5.5 million, the City can afford to install bikeway, pedestrian facilities as well as reconstruct the roadway,” according to city documents. 

The ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled from 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturday June 15.