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closeNew Burley-Olalla interchange opens
Construction project near state Route 16 completed ahead of schedule, under budget
Susan Schell
of the Gateway
As cars sped across the state Route 16 overpass at the Burley Olalla interchange last Wednesday morning, drivers probably were unaware that a celebration was going on underneath.
A crowd gathered for a ribbon cutting ceremony that marked the completion of the project that began in July 2008. The effort raised SR 16 up and over Burley Olalla Road, allowing cars to safely cross the freeway underneath.
Judy Oke of Port Orchard, widow of the late state Sen. Bob Oke, said that, during a trip to China, she noticed the Chinese people danced under overpasses.
“I feel like dancing right now,” she said. “The local people are ecstatic over this completion.”
Bob Oke was instrumental in kick-starting the project, along with the building of the new Narrows bridge.
“Bob put his heart and his life into this effort,” Judy Oke said.
The project involved building two new bridge structures that now carry SR 16 over Burley Olalla Road. It also installed new on- and off-ramps to connect the two.
The area was the last remaining at-grade intersection on SR 16 between Tacoma and Gorst, a place where cars either entering or crossing the road had to immediately negotiate traffic traveling at freeway speeds.
Engineers, state officials and representatives had a lot to be proud of. The project was completed $1.2 million under budget and nine months ahead of schedule.
Region administrator Kevin Dayton said he knew right away that the project would speed along when the contractor, Ceccanti, Inc., of Tacoma, came to the table early on with a new plan.
“They had a plan to re-engineer and re-sequence the project, which would result in considerable time and cost saving,” Dayton said. “We sat down cautiously but took a lot of time to review the plan.”
Project engineer Brenden Clarke said the original plan was to build detour roads around the area and give a wide berth to crews working inside. But the revised plan called for building the on- and off-ramps first, then to use them as detour roads instead, eliminating the need for an outside road.
“Ceccanti was willing to give up some free space,” Clarke said. “They went ahead and said, ‘We’ll sacrifice and build the new on- and off-ramps first and use those to detour around.”
“We were able to optimize a great deal of saving, and it was better for the environment,” Dayton said. “We were able to keep further away by not having to build that extra road.
“They did a phenomenal job. The traveling public had to endure a little pain, but it was for a huge gain. Think about the amount of accidents this will reduce.”
The intersection at Burley Olalla Road and SR 16 previously had been classified as a high accident location. Kitsap County Sheriff Steve Boyer said accidents in that area were not only numerous, but, because of the high speeds involved, they tended to be tragic.
“There are so many statistical things that we forget these are human beings involved,” he said. “I am so impressed with the way this turned out.”
Boyer said that, despite so much public criticism about the government, the project was a perfect example of the government delivering.
“Public transportation is vital to the economy,” he said. “The more collisions there are, the more the insurance goes up.
“There needs to be less road rage. We need to set examples as good drivers to our children and loved ones.”