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closeCounty looks at accelerating road projects
Chris Albert
Now is the time to take road project designs that have been completed and get them moving forward, said Pierce County Councilmember Calvin Goings.
He thinks it would benefit the economy to provide those jobs as soon as possible.
Goings has sponsored a resolution that would move up the construction bid date of a road project on 176th Street East Corridor between Gem Heights Drive and 78th Avenue East from December to July 30.
“I’m optimistic that we can get this resolution passed quickly,” he said. “They (the roads) will be there for 50 to 100 years so let’s invest money now so we can benefit.”
The resolution goes to the Rules Committee next week and could go before the council shortly after that.
It has bipartisan support, Goings said, and Pierce County Executive John Ladenburg has endorsed it.
“There are multiple benefits to this road project,” Goings said.
The road is over capacity, needs to be expanded and could also create jobs in the construction industry, he said.
It is just one of several projects on the 176th East corridor, with some parts having already been completed, such as Meridian to Gem Heights Drive.
Councilmember Roger Bush said there are still questions to be answered to determine if moving up the project times through this resolution is a benefit, but solving traffic needs within the county is a top priority.
“I am very confident the 176th corridor will continue to move forward,” Bush said.
Completing such road projects are addressing decades of county roadway neglect and creating much needed traffic relief, Goings said.
“Anytime you can get rid of headaches it’s a good thing for the community,” Bush said. “And that’s what we’re doing. We’re getting rid of traffic headaches one by one. And we’re accelerating.”
The project must solve a problem, though, not just be movement for the sake of movement, Bush said.
Things to consider are cost effectiveness, if it fulfills a core need and if it is timely.
“I’m very confident the 176th corridor project will continue to move forward,” he said.
Currently, the 176th East Corridor has six different projects in various stages, said Jaqueline Spear, design engineering supervisor for the Pierce County Public Works Department.
The project would expand the two lane road to four lanes, with a center median and turn lanes at identified areas. The project also calls for the use of urban design standards by providing street lighting, curb, gutter, sidewalks and bike lanes.
Not only would it provide traffic relief for an east/west connector and provide jobs, but it would also make the area more attractive to incoming industries and businesses, Goings said.
What the project needs to get going is a funding source for construction. Design and right-of-way acquisition have already been completed, Goings said.
The resolution calls for the sale of bonds to fund the $3 million needed for construction. With interest rates low the timing could be perfect to finance the project, Goings said.
If the project moves forward construction could begin by mid-September. Beginning construction would also depend on the bid winner’s ability to expedite construction, said Ramiro Chavez, project manager for the Public Works Department. After a construction bid is awarded there is a 45-day window to begin construction.
The council could decide to delay bonding and instead go after grant funding from the Transportation Improvement Board. Funds were awarded for the Meridian to Gem Heights section of the 176th East Corridor, Chavez said.