Downtown Port Townsend should look much different by June 2018 after a significant reworking of Water Street between the ferry terminal and Taylor Street is completed.

The Water Street Enhancement Project is just one aspect of a $13.8 million plan that also includes upgrading the Port Townsend Public Library; improving the “triangle” on Sims Way in front of the Jefferson County Visitor Center; working on Howard Street and a State Route 20 pedestrian walkway near a ravine; improving the intersection at Washington and Jefferson streets; funding preliminary design for Seventh Street; and repaying an interfund loan that covered the cost of previous sidewalk work on Landes and Sheridan streets.

$13.8 MILLION IN PROJECTS

“What we try to do is use our bonding capacity to try and leverage other monies as much as possible,” said City Manager David Timmons.

The total cost of the projects is $13.8 million, with the city contributing $3.2 million of that total. The remaining $10.6 million comes from several other sources, including the state Department of Transportation, the state Transportation Improvement Board (TIB) and a heritage grant, among others, according to city documents.

The city sold $10.26 million in bonds in February, which funds both the $3.2 million worth of projects and also refinances $7.5 million worth of bonds from 2008 at a significantly lower interest rate. The lower rates mean the city saved $1.3 million, Timmons said.

The ratings firm Standard & Poor’s upgraded the city’s bond rating from A+ to AA- as part of the bond sale.

CAFE SEATING, PARKING

Work on Water Street should begin in January 2018 and be completed in time for the kickoff of the summer season, Timmons said.

Results of the completed project would include: repaved roadway, additional trees [see graphic Page 18] and widened sidewalks that are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Some sections of the street would go from three lanes to two lanes. The south end of Tyler Street is to be turned into a more pedestrian-friendly “landing,” with cafe seating, strings of lights overhead and flexible parking spaces.

The number of total parking spaces along the project area is to be increased by 10, he said. Also, significant changes would be made underneath the road, according to Timmons.

ORIGINAL PLAN SIMPLER

Timmons said that initially, the project was to be much simpler: laying down fresh asphalt along that section of Water Street. However, those plans were complicated by an old, shallow concrete road currently underneath the street. That concrete causes the asphalt to swell and crack.

“We need to get that out of there; otherwise, the pavement that we put down is just going to fail again,” Timmons said.

Since the road is to be torn up, the city plans to replace an old cast iron 12-inch water main under the road and also upgrade the sidewalks. Timmons said there was no record of when the main was installed, but that the last mention of it in any record dates back to 1934.

“It just made sense; you’ve got a 100-year-old water main under there,” he said.

Timmons said the old main is brittle and prone to cracking.

The new sidewalks are to be wider, with trees, planted on the roadsides and down the center, added as a buffer between pedestrians and traffic.

Power lines are to be buried, but utility poles are to remain, to be used for other types of cables.

AT THE LIBRARY

Cracked retaining walls in front of the PT library are to be repaired. A new roof and new windows are to be put on the back, 1990s-era section of the library building. In addition, an old electric furnace is to be upgraded to a more efficient system.

Timmons said the city also used some of the money to repay itself for funds it advanced for 2015 sidewalk projects along Sheridan Street by Grant Street Elementary, and along Landes Street. The city used federal grants to partially fund those projects, and took out a short-term loan to pay for the rest, Timmons said.

The city also plans to upgrade the intersection at Washington and Quincy/Jefferson streets for pedestrian crossing and sight improvements.

Finally, the city is to collaborate with Kitsap Bank in a public-private partnership to improve traffic control and safety at a triangular patch of asphalt in front of the Port Townsend Visitor Information Center. A major art piece is slated to be installed there.

The city is coordinating the Water Street project with the Port Townsend Main Street Program and downtown merchants.

The city also plans to work with the Jefferson County Public Utility District to build infrastructure that allows for relocating overhead utilities underground by early 2020, the website notes.