First Street Overlook
Project consists of crosswalk striping, vegetated curb extensions, new sidewalk, pedestrian overlook, path connecting to existing waterfront path and streetscaping.
Contract: WSP $185k; AJAX $855k
Progress: Construction 40% Complete
Budget: $903,885 / $161k Spent
Funding: $663k Federal Award $221,186 TIB Grant, $19,699 Street Fund
Planned Completion Date: Fall, 2024
Status Updates
February 2024 - Construction Engineering Request for Qualifications (RFQ) advertising commencement. Complete bid information can be found at RFQ Bid/Status .
May 2022 - The City is moving forward with negotiating a turn-back agreement with WSDOT, which is expected to take place by the end of the year. Once the improvements outlined in the agreement are completed, the City will take over ownership of First Street. Due to the construction delays, the funding to complete the project was lost. An application will be submitted to fund the completion of the project through the WSDOT Pedestrian and Bicyclist program. Construction is expected in 2023.
November 2021 - WSDOT will perform a geotechnical analysis of First Street in mid-November to determine a path forward for the settlement issue on the eastern section of the road. Once the report is complete staff will meet again with WSDOT to discuss options.
October 2021 - Staff continues to work with WSDOT regarding the right of way issue. The City was notified if the project does not transition to the next phase, which would be either right of way acquisition or construction, within 10 years the grant funds would need to be returned. This timeline means we have until January 1, 2030 to move to that next phase. An Issue Statement was sent to WSDOT and uploaded on the project page for an overview of the issue, background information, and a requested way forward.
September 2021 - Project on hold. The property is in WSDOT right of way and the cost to comply with design standards exceeds the budgeted amount and would not be practical considering the possible changes to Columbia Avenue. The City will re-evaluate the project after a turnback agreement is complete and a path forward is determined on the Columbia Avenue project.
June 2021 - Working out final details with WSDOT. Construction is delayed until next summer.
Complete RFQ (244 KB) Questions Answered as of 03/06/24 (231 KB) 