Clallam County lays out six-year TIP; residents press for bridge replacement and trail connection

County engineers presented the county's six-year Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) at a Forks town hall, outlining a mix of grant-funded capital projects and items left on an unfunded list.

Joe D'Nissi, county engineer, told the meeting the TIP covers long-term capital work such as roads, bridges, trails and fish-passage projects. "Our 6 year TIF has 42 funded projects on it and 48 unfunded," he said, noting most funded projects will rely on federal and state grants rather than county road funds. He added that the county maintains about 490 miles of county roads, roughly 70% of which are local-access roads not eligible for capital grant programs but still requiring routine maintenance.

The presentation highlighted new elements for the TIP this year: a safety-action plan to study high-incident intersections and county road sections, and three new fish-passage projects. D'Nissi said the six-year horizon reflects the multi-year cycle for design, right-of-way and construction and that many projects remain on the unfunded list until grants are secured.

Public commenters focused on local crossings. One resident urged the county to use available money to replace a nearby river bridge (referred to during comments as Bridge No. 14) rather than pay for an expensive repaint, saying a full replacement would improve seismic performance and emergency access. D'Nissi said the county had evaluated options and that painting the aging 1920s-era structure was expensive because of environmental mitigation, sandblasting and in-water work; he said replacement eligibility and funding depend heavily on the existence of a feasible detour and other grant criteria.

Another resident asked about TIP projects 30 and 31 related to a trail connection near City Park and the boat launch. D'Nissi said the county holds an old right-of-way on the river's far side and proposes to place a trail bridge near the site of an historic crossing to connect the park area to an Olympic Discovery Trail route. He said engineering work is expected to begin in the coming months, with construction currently listed for 2027.

County staff encouraged attendees to review the full TIP packet and maps, and to follow up with engineers after the meeting for project-level questions. No formal action was taken at the forum; staff emphasized that many projects will remain contingent on grant awards and eligibility criteria.