The longer the train, the longer the wait for the train to pass. The Grays Harbor Council of Governments is helping local governments and state agencies find a way to avoid the backup and keep the trains moving.
The council will hold an open house at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 17, at the Rotary Log Pavilion to discuss three alternatives, or options, for what is being called the East Aberdeen Mobility Project. All would mean major traffic engineering work and take years to complete.
The Council of Governments is a planning agency that coordinates transportation and regional projects impacting more than one city, district or agency. In the case of the Mobility Project, the council has been working closely with the Department of Transportation, the Port of Grays Harbor and the City of Aberdeen to help secure funding, gather public input, and organize consultants and engineers.
Wednesday marks the final chance for the public to comment on the alternatives — each raising vehicular traffic over the tracks and building at least one roundabout. A final alternative will be selected by the end of the year.
The goal of the East Aberdeen Mobility Project is to improve access to the Olympic Gateway Plaza, circumventing rail traffic. Currently, the tracks, owned by Genesee &Wyoming Inc., parallel Wishkah Street which fronts the mall, supermarket, Walmart and dozens of other businesses along the eastern portal to Aberdeen. If a long train is passing through the corridor, there is no access to the shopping center and more importantly, for emergency services such as police, fire and ambluance.
Additionally, changes to traffic could prove to be a boon to economic interests citywide.
“Fixing the traffic issues will greatly enhance the City of Aberdeen,” Council of Governments Executive Director Vicki Cummings said. “We want to make sure people aren’t hindered by traffic as they come into Aberdeen.”
Process
The project was identified in the US 101 Regional Circulation Project in 2007, which noted rail congestion issues throughout the corridor.
Things haven’t changed and rail traffic continues to impede vehicular traffic through the corridor. The Port of Grays Harbor, where nearly all the cargo is headed, expects further growth in rail traffic.
Port rail capacity is currently at less than 30 percent, Port Executive Director Gary Nelson said.
“As far as forecasts, we are expecting a 5- to 10-percent growth in rail traffic from our current customer base,” Nelson said.
And that doesn’t include increases from proposed projects, including three proposed crude oil terminals currently undergoing state environmental impact studies.
According to federal law, rail has priority over vehicular traffic. Engineers working on the East Aberdeen study have noted it’s safer and less costly to alter the roads rather than rail.
An open house was held on Oct. 14, with about 40 business owners and community members attending. Comments regarding the three options were accepted during the meeting and later through an online survey.
The Wednesday meeting will update the public on the council’s findings.
Development of the design alternatives was funded with a federal grant amounting to $250,000 through the Surface Transportation Program and a match made by the Port for a little more than $39,000.
Total project cost is estimated at more than $11 million, funded through federal, state, and, hopefully, local participation.
Legally, the Council of Governments is not yet able to discuss funding with local entities.
“We won’t know exactly until we get into preliminary engineering — it’s going to take state and federal participation and some local participation, but what that local participation will look like, we’re not sure,” Cummings said. “Right now there are just too many unknowns.”
Presenting alternatives to the public was only the first of many lengthy steps. The project will take at least six years before construction breaks ground, Cummings said.
A preferred alternative will be selected by the end of the year, and a document outlining the plan will be completed sometime in February 2015.
The preliminary engineering design, including environmental studies (a federal EPA study is required because the project would use federal funds) will take at least a year and a half, assuming no issues are encountered.
A final design would then be presented.
The land surrounding the project is developed and geographically restrictive. Right-of-way acquisitions would begin after the preliminary engineering design is approved.
“This is an extremely hard area to design in because there is physically no room,” Cummings said. “The alternatives we’re centering on have the least impacts to nearby properties, and if relocation has to occur, those people are accommodated in the best way possible.”
Without interruptions, the property acquisition would take another year and a half.
Interruptions to both the preliminary engineering design and the acquisition could include lawsuits, environmental conflicts and funding issues.
“There are 150 things that can slow progress between this point and the completed project,” Cummings said.
Options
Stakeholders include the city, the Port, the fire department, rail and transit, the business community and the PUD.
“We’ve tried to incorporate all the folks who are travel dependent on that corridor,” Cummings said.
While stakeholders have the most invested interest in the project, the solution mostly will benefit the community, Cummings said.
“We’re building this project for residents and all the people who come to our community,” she said.
The three alternatives— narrowed down from 10 by an engineering team —include:
• Option A — Heron Street flyover
• Option B — “Texas-T” on Benn Street
• or Option C — Overpass for Chehalis Street.
The overall goals of the project are to reduce traffic disruption caused by train delays and improve general traffic flow, access and safety.
The meeting on Wednesday will look to answer key questions before the project moves forward into the preliminary design.
“Are we moving forward? which decision will we make? Or are we not going to do anything at all?” Cummings said.
Option A
The Heron Street flyover would create a ramp running parallel with Heron Street beginning at South Kansas Street after the bridge leaving downtown. The flyover would raise vehicle traffic over rail traffic and Heron Street as it diverts north. The ramp will then descend to the north end of the Wal-Mart parking lot.
The ramp is two-way traffic. Motorists leaving the lot would take the ramp to South Kansas, turn north and connect with Wishkah Street.
A sidewalk is included in the ramp design.
A roundabout would be put in where South Newell Street meets Wishkah.
Option B
The Texas-T would see two roundabouts, one to the east near Fleet Street and one to the west at Newell.
A ramp would ascend from both roundabouts, with a raised one-way street (east to west) situated between Wishkah and Heron.
A two-way ramp would cross the road and tracks and then descend into the parking lot between McDonald’s and Subway ending in the Wal-Mart parking lot.
Traffic exiting the lot could use Heron Street exits or take the ramp to the raised one-way to enter Wishkah traffic at the Newell roundabout.
The ramp includes two sidewalks.
Option C
Following public comments during the first council of governments meeting and an electronic questionnaire available online, the Chehalis Street overpass alternative has been noted as the preferred option.
A roundabout would be constructed at Newell. To access the businesses during rail traffic, motorists would head north on Newell and turn east to a two-lane ramp which would raise traffic and curve south over Wishkah, Heron and the railroad tracks where Chehalis Street currently crosses.
The ramp then would descend and curve east ending near Subway and H&R Block.
Two bike lanes and a sidewalk are included into the ramp design.
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