The in basket: Alan Feldman asks when the highway through Belfair will be made smoother. The patches that have been done so far are terrible and rough to drive across, he said.
The out basket: The work so far is just temporary, and covers underground utility relocation work to prepare for a widening of most of Highway 3 through the town this summer.
The week of Feb. 23, ” the utility company plans to do some spot paving to smooth out the multiple patches on the road,” says Claudia Bingham-Baker of state highways’ Olympic Region. “The road will still be patched, but should be much easier to drive on.”
That work will be done during the day Monday through Friday and at night beginning at 7 o’clock on Thursday and Friday that week.
“In addition, our upcoming construction project resurfaces all lanes of SR 3 through the project limits. That resurfacing, however, probably won’t occur until 2016.”
She refers those interested in the project to check it out at http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/sr3/belfairimprovements/
This summer’s work will widen 1.72 miles of the town’s main drag from Belfair Elementary to half-way up the hill leaving town to the north. It will provide wider shoulder and a lengthened two-way turn lane. Another half-mile of the same, reaching to the Highway 106 intersection, is awaiting funding so will be done later.
My worst fear was this project would spread out over several years. It’s proving to be true, and it’s worse than I imagined. Another example that WSDOT doesn’t know what it’s doing. I hope the Legislature reforms WSDOT.
I too support the Lesislature reforming WSDOT. With the SR-3 project we need to give some others credit for the mess especially the State Transportation commission and several buisness owners in Belfair to include the PNWSC.