Police, fire departments prepared for closure

Published 4:00 pm Wednesday, September 6, 2006

POULSBO — After experiencing a relatively trouble-free weekend during the first closure of State Route 305, Poulsbo’s police and fire departments are readying for yet another.

Beginning Sept. 11, Iverson Street will be closed between 8th Avenue and SR 305 while crews from Stan Palmer Construction of Port Orchard install culverts under the highway.

At that time, no left turns will be permitted at the SR 305/Lincoln Road intersection and access to Lincoln Road from the highway will be right in, right out.

The left turn lanes and that section of Iverson Street are expected to reopen Oct. 19.

All of the traffic signals at the intersection will be inoperable during the culvert installation as well.

“This is the last major closure for 2006, but at some point in 2007 there will be some serious work done at the Bond Road intersection,” Public Works Director Jeff Bauman said.

Unlike the Aug. 25-28 SR 305 closure, the Iverson Street closure will have more of an impact on local traffic and side streets, Bauman said.

“(State Route) 305 will be just fine, but the main impact will be on the side streets,” Bauman said.

“I don’t think this one is going to be as bad as the first one,” said Poulsbo Police Chief Jeff Doran, referring the Aug. 25-28 closure of the section of the highway between Forest Rock Hills Lane and Liberty Road.

Officers will be stationed at the Caldart Avenue/Lincoln Road and Caldart Avenue/Hostmark Street intersections from 6:30-8:30 a.m. and 1:30-3:30 p.m. beginning Sept. 12, Doran said.

“I don’t know if that’s needed, but they were so right on with the last one that we’ll see how it goes,” he said.

The officers will focus on ensuring the safety of students going to and leaving classes at the three schools in that area, he said.

Because there won’t be any traffic signals at the Lincoln Road/SR 305 intersection, Doran said he encourages students who are walking to classes to take 8th Avenue to Hostmark Street and then cross the highway.

“It’s a little farther, but it’s much safer, because they’ll have a light to help them cross,” Doran said.

City Engineer Andrzej Kasiniak said he is working to find a way to maintain pedestrian safety and traffic at the intersection.

“I’m working with (the Washington State Department of Transportation) to see if we can find a way to keep the intersection open to pedestrian traffic,” Kasiniak said.

The Kitsap Transit Poulsbo transfer station is in the affected area, and if pedestrians are unable to cross the highway, they would have to go down to Liberty Road and then back up to the transfer station, he said.

“That’s a little far, but we should have an answer by sometime next week,” Kasiniak said on Thursday.

City public works crews are preparing to adjust their solid waste pick-up routes during the closure as well, Bauman said. Crews are accustomed to coming into the facility by other routes than Lincoln Road, so there shouldn’t be any problems in their adjustment, he said.