Future of BB16 decided this month

City likely to choose SPUI, but money, traffic still concerns

Paige Richmond

of the Gateway

When it comes to building the Burnham-Borgen-state Route 16 interchange, there’s still a long road ahead for the City of Gig Harbor.

During two meetings last week, a serious lack of money and concerns about the viability of traffic reduction were cited as project obstacles.

At a Gig Harbor North Traffic Options committee meeting last Wednesday, the city council and mayor heard a presentation from by H.W. Lochner Inc., the consultant helping the city choose a solution. They learned the project could cost twice as much as it was originally estimated, and it would not reduce traffic in the area over the next 20 years.

The same presentation was repeated during a public open house Monday night, when residents voiced frustration over not feeling included in the decision-making process.

The city is learning toward a single-point urban interchange (SPUI) to replace the current on- and off-ramps at the Burnham-Borgen exit off SR 16, as a long-term solution to anticipated increases in traffic and congestion stemming St. Anthony Hospital, which is slated to open in March.

While the SPUI might be less expensive than the other two options — a split-diamond interchange and a hybrid of the two — it’s still more money than the city can afford. The project will cost between $67.3 and $92.3 million — nearly twice as much as originally projected.

Without that new interchange, traffic would back up for a mile in each direction and into the roundabouts near the southbound and northbound off-ramps at Burnham-Borgen.

“One thing that’s self-evident is that Gig Harbor can’t possibly solve this problem by itself,” said Mayor Chuck Hunter, pointing out that the city doesn’t have the money to pay for the project.

Money isn’t the only roadblock. Lochner Project Manager Alan King said that improving the interchange in the next five years won’t be enough to prevent more traffic problems down the road.

In 20 years, the level of service (LOS) provided by that interchange could still be graded “F” by the Washington State Department of Transportation.

That surprised State Sen. Derek Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor, who attended last week’s meeting.

“What do you end up buying?” he asked.

King said the low LOS at BB16 has little to do with the intersection itself; instead, there are serious traffic issues with SR 16. Nearly every other interchange on the highway between the Narrows bridges and state Route 302 is headed toward a failing grade, as well.

“What happens down at Olympic Drive, for example, will affect what happens at Burnham-Borgen in the future,” King said. “That’s a DOT issue, not the city’s.”

Hunter said the interchanges on the highway are at least 40 years old and will eventually need to be replaced, but the city can’t afford to pay for their replacement.

At Monday night’s meeting, residents were given an opportunity to ask questions about the project. More than a few asked if Lochner had considered residents’ concerns and quality of life during the study.

No part of Lochner’s multi-part evaluation of the interchange options included citizen preference as an attribute; instead, the consultants focused on issues like “traffic operations on local streets,” which King said “affects everyone.”

City engineer Emily Appleton added there have been numerous public meetings and outreach — similar to Monday’s open house — throughout the two-year planning process, and that residents were invited to offer their comments at all those events.

Final decision on BB16

A final decision on the solution for the Burnham-Borgen-state Route 16 interchange will be made at the Gig Harbor City Council meeting at 6 p.m. Nov. 24 at the Gig Harbor Civic Center, 3510 Grandview St. Public comment is welcome.