Tag Archives: Beach Drive

Beach Drive seawall work hard to spot

The in basket: There has been for several weeks an intriguing entry on the weekly Road Report from Kitsap County Public Works which alerts citizens to where they may find road work in the way that week.

It says ,”Beach Drive (between Hillcrest Drive to Woods Road) Crews are doing seawall maintenance in this area Monday through Friday. Flaggers will assist motorists through the work area. Delays of up to 10 minutes can be expected in the immediate vicinity of the work.”

Knowing the enormity of the seawall work on the Seattle waterfront, and never having seen such a project listed on previous Road Reports, I was curious to see what it looked like. But as I drove between Hillcrest and Woods, I couldn’t spot anything out of the ordinary except reconstruction of the Waterman Dock. I asked if that was it.

The out basket: Jacques Dean, county road superintendent, replied, “There were three sites between Hillcrest and Woods where the county did bulkhead repairs.  You can identify them by the straw mulch that has been placed on the road shoulder for erosion control.  “The Port of Waterman was performing dock demolition and wall repairs during the same timeframe that our crews were in the area.”

 

 

Beach Drive overflow could create skids on ice

The in basket: Don Bidwell has been after me for many months to address a water-over-the-roadway situation on Beach Drive about mid-way between Retsil and Waterman in South Kitsap, and this week Olger Ingulsrud added his voice to the subject.

“I travel on Beach Drive in Port Orchard every day,” Olger said, “and since the rains have started, there is a spot a half-mile west of  the intersection of Beach Drive and Hillcrest that has lots of water running across the  road. There are signs installed, saying water on roadway.

“My concern is that there is a potential safety hazard of an accident happening when the water turns into ice,” he said. “My question is, does the road department have plans to install a culvert, and, if so, when will this happen ?

Don couched his concern in terms of the road icing up on freezing mornings, too. “The county came this summer with a big crew and dug a big hole on each side of the culvert,” Don said in October.  “But they did not clear the creek bed upstream. It still wanders around (a neighboring) property under a travel trailer because the channel is completely filled.

“It will be interesting to see if the creek with a good flow will make it into the culvert,” he said. “I kind of doubt it.”

On Nov. 27, he sent the picture you can see by clicking on Read the rest of this entry, below.

The out basket: Doug Bear of Kitsap County Public Works, says, “Crews were out working in that area (the week of Dec. 6). Because of upstream and downstream problems – sediment – we are limited in what we can do. Last summer we cleaned our portion (the part that is in right of way) and thought it would be good for some time but during the first real storm of the season sediment from up-stream caused the culvert to back up.

“This is a fish-bearing stream and we need permits from the state before we can work in that area and the permits limits what we can do. We were granted an emergency permit to do the work (in December), but a bigger project would have to go through the formal permit process. We are looking at long-term solutions for that area. We are aware of the problems there and monitor it on a regular basis.”

Bike lanes on Olalla-Valley Road a long way off

The in basket: Heidi Bennett says Olalla Valley Road in South Kitsap “is extremely popular with bicyclists all year long. It looks to be a fine ride with few hills, so it is no wonder,” she said.

“I’ve often wanted to ride/walk it. However, Olalla Valley has very little to no shoulders at all.  Has the county considered building a bike lane, or at the very least, some decent shoulders?

“I’m sure it would be much appreciated by bicyclists, walkers, and motorists alike,” she said.

The out basket: Nothing like that is being planned anytime soon, says Doug Bear of Kitsap County Public Works, citing the county’s six-year road plan.

The county bicycle plan does mention Olalla Valley Road, but lists the adding of bike lanes there as the 63rd priority out of 127 potential projects.

It’s shown on the bike plan map as part of the Beach Drive bike trail, proceeding past Manchester via Colchester and Southworth drives, then Banner Road, and continues on to the Pierce County line after Olalla-Valley Road becomes Crescent Valley Road.

Short white lines on roads mystify reader

 

The in basket: Lois Fetters asks about something she says has been bugging her for some time. 

She first noticed three white lines on East Center Street near Manchester, about a foot long, one on each shoulder and one on the center line.

“I first noticed them at the bottom of the hill at the stop

sign so I thought they were a cheap stop line kind of thing,” she said. “Then later I noticed two more sets toward the top of the hill. 

“They are not located by fire hydrants. They are not located where you would put a crosswalk. They are not located where the house numbers change blocks.

“I know this can’t be it, but they are located by houses for

sale or land for sale on Center but this does not hold true on other roads that have the lines. Quite the mystery. 

“Then this morning I was driving on Beach Drive from the Annapolis foot ferry dock towards

Manchester,” she said, “and I saw them every 20 or 30 feet for quite a stretch. They seemed to be almost one per house. Maybe…sewer lines. But then I

saw them where there was undeveloped land on both sides of Woods Road.

“So….I give up.  Please help.”

The out basket: Lois certainly thought of a wealth of possibilities, but she missed the correct one, though her final guess was close. 

The lines mark the location of culverts that cross beneath the pavement, so county crews can find them quickly during storm events and for maintenance, says Doug Bear of Kitsap County Public Works.