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Commissioners discuss multiple road-safety projects; Old Olympic Highway resurfacing recommended from economic development funds
Summary
Public works briefed the commission on several road-safety items including pedestrian crossings on SR 302 and SR 106, Pickering crosswalk options and a proposed $1.04 million Old Olympic Highway resurfacing project; commissioners directed staff to follow up with DOT and to consider funding from new-roads/economic-development reserves.
Public Works and facilities staff briefed the Mason County Board of Commissioners on several road-safety and improvement items: pedestrian/crosswalk concerns at SR 302 (Victor area), SR 106 crosswalk and line-of-sight issues, Pickering crosswalk upgrades (flashing/solar lights), and a planned resurfacing project for Old Olympic Highway (mileposts ~1.39–2.89).
Staff said state Department of Transportation (DOT) cooperation is required for changes on SR 302 and SR 106; DOT has recommended that a short-term crosswalk at SR 106 may be insufficient due to limited sight lines, and staff suggested targeted clearing and possibly a larger paving project to create safe pedestrian approaches. For Pickering, staff met with a property owner and said installing push-button flashing lights would likely reduce risk but could require reconfiguring parking and removing one or two stalls.
Old Olympic Highway: staff presented a design that would place glass-grid reinforcement and new asphalt over an older 1917 concrete panel roadway; estimated project cost was approximately $1,040,000. Commissioners agreed the safety-driven resurfacing is a reasonable use of the county’s new-roads/economic-development funds and asked staff to prepare contracting steps and public outreach for affected residents.
Next steps: staff will follow up with DOT for SR 302 and SR 106 issues, continue property-owner coordination at Pickering, prepare procurement documents for Old Olympic Highway resurfacing and plan public outreach. Commissioners did not take a formal vote at the meeting but directed staff to return with specifics.
