Sequim Street repairs slated for summer

Portion of Fourth Avenue is rated the lowest in city limits

By Matthew Nash • May 6, 2015 3:37 pm
City of Sequim crews plan to hire construction crew to reconstruct a short stretch this summer on North Brown Road from Fir Street to Willow Street for an estimated cost of nearly $111
City of Sequim crews plan to hire construction crew to reconstruct a short stretch this summer on North Brown Road from Fir Street to Willow Street for an estimated cost of nearly $111

Some of Sequim’s streets in bad shape are slated for repairs starting this summer.

Nine areas in Sequim’s city limits will be repaired and/or reconstructed for just over $717,000 as part of the 2015 Pavement Preservation project.

These areas include: North Fourth Avenue (between Washington Street and Fir Street), North Second Avenue (between Spruce Street and Alder Street), South Seventh Avenue (between Washington Street and Hemlock Street), South Second Avenue (between Bell Street and Hammond Street), North Brown Road (between Fir and Willow Street), the alley behind the Civic Center, Whitefeather Way, Sequim-Dungeness Way and the Sequim Avenue and Cedar Street crosswalk.

Streets were analyzed using the Pavement Condition Index, which Interim Public Works Director David Garlington said involves city staff going down streets and looking at the level of cracking and depressed areas for a general sense of the condition.

In 2011, Sequim’s streets were professionally rated as a 74 but now are at 71, he said.

The following year, the city councilors adopted a pavement management plan to improve streets but Garlington said the city doesn’t have enough funding to maintain the 74 rating.

“Even though we’ve been doing a fair amount of work, it’s been a slow decline,” he said.

“That’s why we’re interested in developing more sources of revenue. We’re definitely interested in maintaining the TBD (Transport Benefit District), looking for low interest loans and grants from the state or feds. The problem is we’re competing with all the other North Olympic cities for those dollars.”

Some of the streets chosen with this project list follow city councilors’ goal to improve downtown Sequim, Garlington said.

Funding for the project this year is allocated in the 2015 Pavement Rehabilitation budget and from reserve funds from the Transportation Benefit District.

Before the projects can move forward, city councilors will vote on the bid for the projects on June 8.

Possibly the worst section in the city is on North Fourth Avenue from Washington Street to Fir Street with a pavement condition index rating of 15.

“It won’t be the worst much longer,” Garlington said.

Cost for its reconstruction is estimated at nearly $205,000.

However, other high traffic roads like Fir and Prairie streets are scheduled for repairs later on due to the cost of repairs.

Garlington said Fir Street from Sequim Avenue to Fifth Avenue will have a finished redesign by the end of the year.

Seattle engineering firm Grey & Osborne was budgeted up to $511,200 to redesign Fir Street in 2014. Garlington said they’ve created two different scenarios to look at so far.

“One of the things we’re looking to do is minimize the amount of right of way we take,” he said. “They are refining that. Then we’ll look to meet with the school district before school lets out and have a public meeting, engage the neighborhood and anyone else interested in the project.”

Garlington estimated last year that repairing everything in the stretch from the storm drainage to sewer and water to irrigation would cost more than $2 million.

Prairie Street is another low rating area along with a few other areas in the southwestern city limits that Garlington is looking to place on the 2016 rehabilitation schedule.

 

Reach Matthew Nash at mnash@sequimgazette.com.