The in basket: Ken Hovater read the recent entry about the improvements on Sedgwick Road at Ramsey Road that included left turn pockets on Sedgwick and Ramsey and a right turn lane on Ramsey, and asked, “Are there any similar plans to accommodate the increased traffic from the housing development being built near the intersection of Philips Road and Sedgwick?
The out basket: Some, though they wouldn’t be considered similar.
Claudia Bingham Baker, spokesman for the state highways here, said, “The Sedgwick/Phillips intersection already has left-turn pockets, so no changes are planned there. What will be built at that development is a new eastbound right-turn pocket from Sedgwick, and eastbound right-in/right-out movement onto Sedgwick.”
That work is mostly complete with the pavement widened and a concrete island to force the right-in-right-out limitation started.
There actually are two contiguous housing developments under way there and those improvements appear to be the work of those doing the upper project.
I expect there will have to be signs posted to forbid left turns from the right-out-only access, as the temptation to turn left and go west on Sedgwick will be great. It appears that the only approved way out of both developments, for those wanting to go toward Highway 16 and Port Orchard, will be via their Phillips Road access and then to Phillips’ intersection with Sedgwick.
Traffic already backs up regularly on Phillips there and it takes only a couple of cars wanting to turn left or go straight before would-be right turners can’t get past and must also wait.
Pressure for some kind of enhanced traffic control is sure to build there.
The lower development is a “sweat equity” affordable housing project of Housing Kitsap, in which the home owners help build their homes. Stuart Grogan, head of Housing Kitsap, said his organization bought half of the approved development that comprises the two separate projects now.
“All of the circulation, intersection and access improvements as well as any required mitigation was negotiated by the original developer,” he said.
