The Monroe Monitor & Valley News, Monroe, Washington, The Voice of the Sky Valley Since 1899

City to vote on $10 million in traffic projects

by POLLY KEARY, STAFF WRITER

Monroe residents will decide this fall whether to fund $10 million in traffic improvements that could reduce congestion and improve safety. The city in 2007 completed a transportation plan identifying $43 million in needed projects to take place over the next 17 years. Most of the funding for the projects has been identified. The bond represents most of the shortfall.

“The funding plan said, ‘You’ll get this much from grants and this much from mitigation fees,‘“ said city engineer Brad Feilberg. “Plus, you’ll need $10 million in bonds.”

That’s $10 million in 2007 dollars. Because of rising costs of fuel and goods, the list of unfunded projects now will exceed $10 million in costs.

The city council is struggling to prioritize the list of unfunded projects. The projects will be funded in order of priority.

On that as-yet-unprioritized list are signals at Kelsey and Main, Woods Creek and Tjerne, Old Owen and Oaks, Fryelands and Tye, and Fryelands and 146th. There are a total of three signals on 179th on the list, including lights at Main, 147th and 154th. Most of the lights have a price tag of between $400,000 and $600,000, with one difficult intersection about triple that.
And about $1.4 million is set aside for a potential light at the intersection of Kelsey and Blueberry.

Tops on the current list is an $850,000 roundabout at Fryelands Boulevard and Main, where recently the city did a small, temporary improvement to improve safety until a roundabout was possible.

Also on the list is $1 million for a parking lot downtown. For years, the city has expressed the need for parking downtown if that district is to compete with coming retail at North Kelsey.
But until this year, there was no city funding for such a public amenity. Although no land has yet been identified for a lot, and although $1 million is likely to be far less than what is needed, it is a start, city officials said.

An improvement costing about $600,000 is planned for the intersection of Main, Old Owen and U.S. 2, where the lack of a right turn lane allowing travelers on Main to turn onto U.S. 2 toward Sultan results in traffic congestion during peak hours.

The only listed non-motorized project, that is, a project for something other than car travel, is $1.5 million for the extension of the Centennial Trail through Monroe. The Centennial Trail, currently 35 miles long, is a multi-decade project to create a wide, paved trail that follows the historic paths of railroad tracks and that connects King and Snohomish counties.

Currently, the trail runs from Snohomish to Arlington. The county is now seeking funds to extend the trail to Monroe, and Monroe is seeking funds to extend the trail through the city.
Improvements to Woods Creek Road are listed in the amount of $1,350,000. And two of the listed projects would provide local traffic a route alternative to U.S. 2.

The extension of Tjerne Place from Chain Lake Road to Woods Creek would cost about $1,180,000. And the extension of Oaks Street from Woods Creek to Old Owen Road would cost another $1,050,000. Those two projects would complete a long held goal of establishing an east-west connector that could take as many as 10,000 local trips per day of U.S. 2, relieving congestion. Those projects total about $11.5 million in bond funds for 2006, and about $15,688,000 in 2009 bond dollars. That is why the city staff must prioritize the projects.

“The staff’s recommendations will be the top $10 million in projects,” said Feilberg.

What exactly that $10 million will buy will be determined by prices of fuel, labor and materials in the year in which the projects are completed. And since construction isn’t scheduled to begin on many projects until roughly 2011, that could leave many projects unfunded.

One councilman is interested in putting a rush job on the projects, fearing rapid inflation.
“Obviously the longer we take to get them done, the more it’s going to cost,” said councilman Mitch Ruth. He would be in favor of expediting the construction, to the extent of hiring outside contractors to help the city cope with the increased workload, he said.

The list is expected to be complete June 3.

Voters will consider the matter during the general election Nov. 4.

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