Relief coming for frustrating drive on Bainbridge Island
Mar 29, 2016, 10:08 PM | Updated: May 6, 2016, 10:10 pm
A frustrating trip from the Bainbridge Island ferry terminal is getting some attention from the state.
The drive, which shouldn’t be much more than 20 minutes, can take more than an hour depending on ferry traffic. Drivers heading to Poulsbo or Suquamish find themselves stuck on State Route 305 as traffic jams up around the Agate Pass Bridge on the north end of Bainbridge.
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The main problem is the light at Suquamish Way on the other side of the bridge. So few cars are able to get through at a time, that during peak commute times, traffic backs up across the bridge.
For a quick fix, the state added some time to the green light as well as a light on the bridge so drivers could see what was coming.
Now the big change is coming. The state is extending the right turn lane to Suquamish Way by about 500 feet. The existing turn lane is only about 100 feet long. That means more room for turning cars to get out of the way.
Doug Adamson with the Washington Department of Transportation says engineers are also getting rid of the red light at the turn, making it into a yield, which should also help move traffic.
Adamson expects this to be a major improvement for people going northbound through the island.
But adding that lane isn’t the only part of this project. A bus stop is being relocated, which will further reduce delays. The old park and rides on either side of the highway have been removed and put in a new location on the casino property.
The project will add new signals and safety improvements for pedestrians and bikes.
Workers hope to have this project finished before peak summer travel season begins.
The state plans to spend $37 million on the 305 corridor over the next eight years. Some of that funding will go to studying whether to widen the road across the island and even replace the aging Agate Pass Bridge.
