Bainbridge Island Mayor Joe Deets held up a recent edition of the BI Review newspaper.
The top story was about a roundabout in the works for Highway 305 at High School Road.
“It’s drawing a lot of attention. It’s not just us (the City Council). We’re channeling our constituents when we ask about this,” he told state Department of Transporation representatives at a recent council meeting.
Councilmembers pushed for public involvement, but Steve Roark of DOT said word of the project got out before the agency was ready. It is early in the process as DOT really hadn’t planned to release information on the plan until next spring.
Information shows the intersection is one of the 15 most dangerous in the state.
“It’s a very scary intersection,” Councilmember Leslie Schneider said. A roundabout “would take away that fear of the light running out” when people are trying to cross the highway.
A DOT PowerPoint shows that intersection is a priority for state funds because of the number and severity of crashes. A chart shows from 2015-20 there were 29 crashes there-one fatal and three with serious injuries. A roundabout would improve traffic flow, slow down traffic, prioritize pedestrian crossings and reduce accidents 66%.
Construction would begin in spring of 2027.
Deputy mayor Ashley Mathews said she didn’t want it at first. But when she heard how dangerous it is, she said safety is more important than convenience.
Councilmember Clarence Moriwaki said even as a healthy person the timer can be down to a few seconds by the time he makes it across the highway. “I hate it. It seems like an eternity. It’s stressful not being able to get all the way across on red.”
He said a roundabout will be much safer as there will be areas where pedestrians can stop and wait for cars, instead of crossing the entire highway at once.
When Deets saw the price of the roundabout at $4 million, he was concerned, comparing it to the $12 million cost at Day Road. He said he hoped DOT isn’t saying, “Let’s see how cheap we can make it.”
Roark said this one would be less expensive because it would take up the same footprint as what’s there now.
Councilmembers expressed that the design should include better paths for walkers and bikers as it’s part of the Sound to Olympics trail that is now connected to a nationwide trail system.
“Safety needs to include specifics for bikes” and pedestrians, Deets said. “Can we design something like this?”
Roark said anything is possible as it’s at the pre-design stage. “It depends on what the community’s needs are.” He said it can address all modes of transportation, but DOT also doesn’t want to confuse drivers and “throw at them something completely foreign.”
Schneider had an even fancier vision. She wondered if a tunnel could be built under the creek. Even though that would cost more money, Roark didn’t rule it out because fish passage comes from another pot of money.
Councilmember Brenda Fantroy-Johnson wondered if there were any other pots of money for more roundabouts. She worries about how long it takes people to figure out how to drive them. She lives by the one at Adis Will, where people “are still learning. They zoom through it.”
She added she’s worried about the one at High School Road, where old people with canes would use it, along with students.
Roark said without additional funds no more roundabouts are forthcoming. As for driveability, he said there always is an adjustment period, but even if speed limits were lowered people still drive at the speed they are comfortable with. He added things can be done to slow drivers, but they would have to be an “acceptable tradeoff as not as many people would use it.”
Electrification
The council also saw a presentation about electrifying the city’s fleet and other tools.
Almost 70% of the fleet is eligible for electrification. The city’s Climate Action Plan set a goal of the city’s fleet being 75% electric and the rest biofuels by 2025. Cost in 2023 dollars would be $19.4 million. Charging infrastructure would cost $2.8 million at the two lots at Public Works; $1.25 million at the Ted Spearman Justice Center; and $750,000 at City Hall.
The council was shocked by price estimates. A study shows the 2024 budget at $180,000 for this effort. One option in the study says $10 million would need to be spent to reach 100% electrification by 2038.
Deets said while the CAP goal was aspirational, “That’s not on the table.” He said the council just did its budget, and wondered how it matched with this new information.
Deputy city manager Ellen Schroer said the budget was figured with the $180,000 amount so any changes would need to update the budget. Typical spending would mean 75% electrification by 2038. “We need to make a commitment and find how we can afford it,” Deets said.
“For me it’s unthinkable,” Councilmember Jon Quitslund said, adding he wondered how things could be scaled down.
Moriwaki said to reach any of the goals would take over $1 million a year for several decades. He suggested the city prioritize a list and make the changes in an incremental way as needed. “In my fantasy world I’ve love to do it,” he said of making wholesale changes quickly.
Mathews wondered if the city could find out what equipment does the most environmental damage and “start with those” for replacement.
Moriwaki and Schneider said the study did not take into account how much less electric vehicles and equipment cost in the way of maintenance.
“EV can be stretched out quite a bit; they have much longer service life,” Moriwaki said.
Schneider added: “The budget issue is a little bit scary, but there are savings in maintenance costs. There are other savings besides the purchase price.”
Ferries
The council also heard from the DOT about electrification of the state ferry system.
Statewide there will be 16 terminals, six vessels will be converted, and there will be 16 new vessels. Vessels will have a 20-minute charging window so there should be no impacts to ferry service. Construction on the $50 million BI terminal would run from 2026-28.
Wi-fi would prepare the ship for charging when it’s 500 yards out. Optical sensors would do the rest. “I think it’s really cool,” Moriwaki said of the technology.
Schneider said she hopes no trees would be cut down. She was told changes would be kept to the roadway. She also asked when the Wenatchee would return as people want to see what a hybrid ferry looks like. She was told it was supposed to be back by now, but it looks like service won’t start until late June due to the very long retrofit.
The council also was told that improvements in signage and signals should help the flow of people, bikes and traffic in efforts to have better lane compliance in limited space.
Mathews said while she appreciates the improvements she’d like to see more effort in the area of passenger-only ferries to get people out of their cars to travel in a more environmental-friendly way.
Also, during the meeting, because of the cyclone winds, lights were blinking off and on, and there were problems with Zoom and PowerPoint. “Recording in progress” announcements also were arbitrarily heard.
“We’re so sorry about Mother Nature here this evening,” she said.
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