Clallam County finalizing 6-year transportation plan

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, October 11, 2023

Extending the Olympic Discovery Trail from Forks to La Push is one of the highlights of the county’s Six-Year Transportation Improvement Program for 2024-2029, the first draft of which has been presented to the Clallam County Commissioners.

The plan, discussed Oct. 2 during the commissioners’ work session, will be the subject of an Oct. 18 public hearing before the Clallam County Planning Commission and a Nov. 7 public hearing before the three commissioners.

The 12-mile trail segment will run between U.S. Highway 101 to the existing La Push trail along state Highway 110, also known as La Push Road.

Preliminary engineering, the first step in road construction, was completed in 2021. Construction, the third phase after right-of-way acquisition, is slated for 2025. It is budgeted at $11.3 million.

Steve Gray, the county’s transportation program manager, said they know what the trail costs, but “the big unknown” is what the bridge across the Bogachiel River will cost.

Gray said the latest six-year plan covers 490 miles of roads, 35 bridges and the Olympic Discovery Trail and Olympic Adventure Trail but not annual maintenance or chip-sealing. It includes 34 funded projects and 44 planned but unfunded projects.

“We have them listed over the years as we would like to do them, but we don’t have the funding yet,” he said.

Gray said some of the highlights include completion of the Dry Creek Road project in 2023, completion of the Sequim-Dungeness Way and Woodcock Road roundabouts and the Wisen Creek Road culverts.

Carlsborg Road isn’t ready for construction, but 95 percent of the engineering is completed and they are confident about going out to bid next year, he said.

Black Diamond Road has been on the plan for quite some time, but they anticipate finishing engineering in 2024 and beginning construction in 2025, Gray said.