City advances Commercial Avenue redesign; signal plan set for 11th–13th but funding, water‑main risk remain

Public works staff briefed council on Jan. 21 on a two‑phase redesign of Commercial Avenue, the state route through Anacortes that leads to the ferry terminal. Phase 1 covers Commercial Avenue between 11th and 13th streets (the Safeway intersection area); Phase 2 covers the corridor south to 34th Street.

Project lead (presenter identified in the record as "Mister Aham") reminded council that the city previously studied a roundabout for the 11th–13th intersection but moved to a signalized design after land acquisition and grant timeline concerns. The Phase 1 100% design estimate has been reduced from earlier budgets; Aham reported a current construction cost estimate near $1,805,302 for the signalized option (not including separate land acquisition). He said the city lost one discretionary grant (Sandy Williams) because that program had prioritized roundabouts, but other grants (TIB and WSDOT) remain in play and the project team is pursuing Transportation Improvement Board approval to proceed to bid.

Design features retained from earlier concepts include buffered bicycle lanes, pedestrian improvements and intersection treatments to slow traffic; staff described mountable/raised treatments at intersection corners to physically separate turning vehicles from the bicycle space at crossings. Council asked staff to provide larger plan graphics to the public and to post the design drawings on the city website.

Phase 2 is primarily a repaving and rechannelization project with ADA ramp work; Aham said the 2025 capital plan lists $1.5 million in REIT funding for the Phase 2 effort and that the total project estimate stands at about $2.733 million. Council and staff discussed using Transportation Benefit District (TBD) revenue, REIT and other local funds to fill gaps if state funding does not materialize. Councilmember Walters said TBD annual revenues are material and could be directed to the corridor; staff agreed to provide a clear, single‑sheet funding breakdown.

Councilmembers also raised engineering concerns about buried utilities. Walters and others noted the water main under Commercial Avenue is an older pipe (council discussion identified it as roughly 85 years old in the city’s records). Public Works Director Andy Rayum said the main is a vintage pipe but reported field staff have found the pipe generally intact on repair excavations; he offered to provide a written risk assessment or third‑party evaluation of the main before the council commits to paving to reduce the chance of having to cut new holes in fresh pavement.

Ending: Staff will pursue TIB authorization to advertise the Phase 1 work, return with a funding‑source table showing the proposed mix of REIT/TBD/other funds for council approval, and provide a water‑main condition memo or third‑party assessment addressing the council’s request for engineering assurance.