The city of Bainbridge Island unveiled the now completed Madison Avenue bundled project June 17, which features new paved road surfaces, a new sewer force main, raised bike lanes and upgraded sidewalks that include pedestrian ramps and elevated crosswalks.

The $6.5 million project began in 2018, with a federal grant for sidewalk improvements, while construction began in 2024 and was completed in May, per a city press release. The project covers more than 1.25 miles with the goal of reducing long-term disruptions and maximizing cost efficiency into one coordinated upgrade.

BI Mayor Ashley Mathews shared her support for the project.

“The most exciting part for me was seeing all the bikes going onto the raised bike path next to traffic. It was a long process filled with some surprises, but it was really good to see the final project, “ she said. “The great part was it was a bundled project, which means that you sort of spend all the money at one time, instead of going into piecemeal and sometimes spending more money to do the same work.”

During construction, crews discovered weak soil with no underlying road base north of High School Road, which required additional reconstruction of the section and extended the timeline.

“We learned a lot from it, and now the community should be safer, and we hope everyone gets to use and enjoy it, ” Mathews said.