Waterfront Park meeting:
Plans for Waterfront Park will be discussed at a public open house at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall.
The event will gather community input on conceptual plans for shoreline restoration and improvements at the park.
Goals for the project include restoring the shoreline, creating a natural trail along the beach, improving existing upland trails, enhancing opportunities for water-oriented recreation through added dock space and protecting native vegetation.
The project is being funded with state grant money; Makers Architecture and Urban Design is in charge of design. Planners say public comments at the open house will help inform the final design.
For more information about the project, go to the city’s Web site, www.ci.bainbridge-isl.wa.usw.
Rockaway under repair:
Road alterations began this week at Rockaway Beach Road, where shoreline erosion has undermined the shoulder near the guardrail, city officials said.
“The infrastructure of the road is sound, but erosion has impacted the bluff behind the guardrail,” Public Works Director Randy Witt said.
“We’re taking precautions by shifting the road away from the bluff, in case further erosion impacts the guardrail. We’ll also install a new barrier to reinforce the protection for traffic.”
City crews will finish widening the shoulder on the west side of the road this week.
The roadway will be shifted about five feet to the west, and concrete barriers will be installed in front of the existing guardrail to create a second barrier. Additionally, the speed limit will be reduced to 20 miles per hour.
Planners said the road may periodically be reduced to one lane until the work is finished in late June.
A 2006 study found the slope at Rockaway is eroding at a rate of six inches per year.
Conducted by island firm Aspect Consulting, the study evaluated the complex coastal and upland processes that together are weakening the shoreline. Its goal was to find a long-term solution to allow users of the road safe passage.
Possible long-term fixes include various types of walls – both at the shoreline and uphill – and a 140-foot long pile-supported bridge over the least stable area of the hillside.
In addition to the several options listed in the study, planners also will bring forward a few of their own options for the council to consider.
Cost estimates for permanent repairs are as high as $2 million.
If the city did nothing, it would likely have to close the northbound lane within two years, the study said.
Right now, $250,000 is budgeted for design work.
Funding for repairs to Rockaway and other troubled roads is being discussed as part of the City Council’s current capital facilities planning effort, which is slated to wrap up in June.
