Schools, transit steel for SR 305 closure

Published 5:00 pm Saturday, September 2, 2006

POULSBO — The word is out and now local schools and Kitsap Transit are making plans for the five-week closure of Iverson Street between 8th Avenue and State Route 305.

With classes in the North Kitsap School District beginning Wednesday, NKSD director of transportation services Ron Lee said the district is analyzing what changes will be made during the closure.

“We have the information about it, and we’re working on coming up with a plan,” Lee said.

The number of buses and students that will be impacted by the closure is still unknown because classes haven’t started yet, Lee said.

At Christ the King Academy, on 8th Avenue and Iverson Street, parents were informed about the closure during an open house and orientation Thursday night, said secretary Joy Dunlap. Classes there also start Wednesday.

“We don’t have buses, just carpools, so it might take longer for parents to get to school,” Dunlap said.

For Kitsap Transit the closure means rerouting two of its five Poulsbo area routes, which either cross SR 305 or travel on Iverson Street.

The No. 41 route, which makes a loop from the Poulsbo Transfer Center east on Lincoln Road and goes south on 23rd Avenue and Noll Road, before turning west on Hostmark Street and north on 8th Avenue, won’t be able to cross the highway like it normally does.

The No. 62 route, which travels to the Kingston ferry terminal, won’t be able to go east on Lincoln Road across the highway to Stottlemyer Road and will be rerouted as well.

Both of those routes will probably turn north out of the transfer center on 8th Avenue and use Liberty Road to get to the highway, said Kitsap Transit transit planner Doug Johnson.

“I don’t think it will be terribly disruptive, and we shouldn’t miss any stops,” Johnson said.

Buses might experience some delays during the first few days of the closure, but once motorists become accustomed to the closure, further delays should be minimal, Johnson said.

Mayor Kathryn Quade echoed Johnson’s sentiments that the closure shouldn’t have a significant impact on motorists in the area.

“I don’t think it will be as bad as people think it will be, but it’s important that we get as much information out there as possible, so people are aware of it,” Quade said.