Budget grows for Olympic Drive non-motorized project

The city of Bainbridge Island’s Olympic Drive non-motorized improvement project will cost $90,000 more than expected.

The city council was presented with fourth-quarter amendments to its 2019 budget at the council meeting this week, and in a memo to the council, city staff said the budget for the project needed to be increased to more than $3 million.

The budget for Olympic Drive improvements was previously set at $2,995,000, which included $953,000 in city funds, with the rest coming from state Transportation Improvement Board Funds, the Federal Transportation Alternatives Program, and the Washington State Department of Transportation.

City officials said two cost increases in the project mean more money is needed to pay for the work.

An increase to the budget of $20,000 is needed to cover costs in water-related work. In the memo to the council, Budget Manager Kim Dunscombe noted that field conditions did not match the project’s survey drawings.

Another increase of $70,000 was needed to cover higher-than-budgeted costs for construction of the transportation component of the improvements, and additional costs from Puget Sound Energy.

The city will cover the higher costs by using more funding from its Transportation Impact Fee Fund ($70,000) and the city’s Water Fund ($20,000).

The Olympic Drive project features separated bicycle, pedestrian and driving lanes that officials said will improve safety for all modes of transportation. The city notes that sidewalk widening for the project is also expected to also safety for pedestrians, including those with strollers or people in wheelchairs.

The project also includes bike lanes and bike boxes (a designated area of pavement that improves safety for bicyclists by making them more visible to approaching drivers).

Construction, which started earlier this year and will wrap up in December, included upgrades to undergrounds utilities.

The final work involves the completion of pavement markings, installation of a railing along the west side of Olympic Drive, and installation of a push-button bicycle signal in the southbound bicycle lane.