Ferries, buses, roads and Gorst: What the infrastructure package might mean for Kitsap
While time will tell in how funding from the federal infrastructure package will make its way to Washington, down to communities around Puget Sound and in Kitsap County, a handful of projects jump out as logical local destinations for that money: the state ferry system and its aging vessels, Kitsap Transit’s bus fleet, roadway projects throughout the county, and, yes, Gorst’s gridlock.
“From a whole community perspective,” said Kitsap Transit Executive Director John Clauson, “we’re all excited to get that (Gorst) corridor finally addressed.”
“Obviously, Gorst, right off the top of the list,” said Poulsbo Mayor Becky Erickson, listing off potential projects to be funded by the package.
It’s been estimated that a megaproject aimed at improving passage through Gorst with an expanded, elevated highway through the area would take around $413 million, and federal funding would likely be needed to bring the effort to fruition.
President Joe Biden signed the bipartisan $1 trillion infrastructure package into law on Nov. 15. Money from the measure will go to projects like highway and bridge improvements, the country’s passenger rail system, electrifying school and transit buses and other clean energy efforts, the rollout of high-speed internet access and a swath of other public works projects. The measure in reality includes about $550 billion in new spending over 10 years, since some of the expenditures in the package were already planned.
A fact sheet released by the U.S. Department of Transportation on Friday said that based on formula funding alone, Washington would expect to receive about $5.3 billion over five years in federal highway formula funding for highways and bridges. Among a long list of other projects, funding will also go to highway traffic safety programs, building out a network of electric vehicle chargers and improving public transit options and airports.
Said Bremerton Mayor Greg Wheeler in an email to the Kitsap Sun: “While there are no guarantees, it’s likely that several of our priorities including the non-motorized improvements on the Warren Avenue Bridge, improving the SR303 corridor, continuing our various stormwater treatment projects to improve water quality, and other priorities will benefit from this funding infusion. We’re also hopeful that regional priority projects like Gorst will see additional support with more funding being made available.”
Erickson, Poulsbo’s mayor, suggested funding go to projects like additional work along the Highway 305 corridor, along Highway 104 and an “underfunded” Washington State Ferries system.
“There’s a lot of ways we can use the money,” she said. “The question is how it’s going to come down to use and what does that look like.”
Bainbridge Island City Manager Blair King pointed to possibly funding projects like improving the city’s water infrastructure and to transportation projects like bike, pedestrian and transit facilities.
“Just like many other cities,” he said, “we have plenty of needs and there’s plenty of ways to put that money to good use.”
Clauson, with Kitsap Transit, pointed to the possibility of funding projects like a new maintenance facility in Poulsbo that he said would allow the agency to bring in double-decker electric buses to help with the demand for service between Poulsbo and Bainbridge Island, a dedicated passenger-only ferry terminal on the Seattle waterfront, an all-electric passenger-only ferry to run between Port Orchard and Bremerton and accelerating plans to replace diesel buses with electric counterparts.
“We have a lot of excitement, this is pretty much unprecedented funding to transit systems throughout the nation,” he said. “I can tell you we’re all pretty much excited and anxious to be able to start improving the transportation system throughout the country.”
By: Nathaniel Pilling and Josh Farley
Source: Kitsap Sun