POULSBO — Before the State Route 305 widening project began in August, local police and fire crews were prepared for a two-year nightmare.

Fortunately, as the $14.9 million project has progressed, the reality has been anything but a horror story.

“They really seem to know their stuff. It hasn’t been the nightmare it could have been,” said Poulsbo Police Chief Jeff Doran.

Much of that credit goes to the Washington State Department of Transportation officials and crews from Stan Palmer Construction of Port Orchard, which are completing the project, he said.

“It’s been pretty mellow,” Doran said. “They’ve built up quite a bit of credit in the bank with me.”

The state’s communication efforts have paid big dividends as the police department has been well-informed of potential impacts caused by the project, he said, noting that while some streets have received above-average traffic flows, overall traffic flow has been fairly smooth.

Motorists have also adapted well to traffic shifts and other changes created by the project, he said.

“Everyone seems to be driving pretty smart. People are using their heads,” Doran said.

With Iverson Street closed between State Route 305 and 8th Avenue, the Poulsbo Fire Department has seen an increase in traffic on 10th Avenue and Liberty Road, said Tom O’Donahue, PFD battalion chief of operations.

“It hasn’t been as bad as we thought it would be, but we have used our rear access a time or two,” O’Donahue said, explaining that as part of the project, an entrance directly onto the highway was constructed for the fire department to use if the need arose.

So far, construction crews have done a good job of allowing fire department vehicles onto 10th Avenue, but having the rear access provides another exit in case of emergency, he said.

“The communication between the state, city and contractor and the department has been great,” he said. “We appreciate it. It helps us plan ahead.”

A PFD representative attends weekly contractor’s meetings and the PFD sends project updates to all of its crews, and fire departments in surrounding areas, O’Donahue said.

For local business owners, the amount of awareness through communication has also been a real benefit, said Greater Poulsbo Chamber of Commerce executive director Stuart Leidner.

“It is extremely important for not only businesses, so they can gauge the impacts they are going to be seeing, but it’s important for residents so they can do advance planning for traffic,” Leidner said.

So far, everyone is coping with the project, and everything seems to be on track, he said.

As part of its efforts to educate the public, the chamber has invited WSDOT communications supervisor Lisa Murdock to speak about the project at its Oct. 11 luncheon at Kiana Lodge, he said.

“She will be providing a personal overview of the project, and what’s going to go on during the project,” Leidner said.