PORT TOWNSEND — Traffic on a section of Water Street downtown will be diverted for about a month as city crews repave the street and replace sidewalks between Monroe and Adams streets.
The closure will begin Tuesday and last until March 18, according to project manager Tom Miller.
During the closure, traffic will be routed along Quincy and Washington streets, which will allow vehicle access to City Hall, the American Legion and the Northwest Maritime Center.
Semitrucks and recreational vehicles will not be allowed to make a right turn on Washington Street and will instead be routed through uptown, Miller said.
Sidewalks along Water Street will be kept open during the closure, Miller said.
The project, which began last summer, has changed as it has developed.
One of the goals was to fill “void” areas below the sidewalks to prevent a collapse during an earthquake, but it turned out that some of the areas thought to be empty were filled by solid material that sounded empty during a sonar test.
This required backfilling but was less expensive than filling the void areas with solid material, Miller said.
Another change occurred when the city decided to replace a 100-year-old waterline.
This will cause a water shutdown 7 a.m. Tuesday to 7 a.m. Wednesday.
During this time, businesses and residences within the shutoff area will receive water service through a hose connection, Miller said.
Water service is expected to return to normal Wednesday morning.
After Water Street reopens in mid-March, the next step will be the paving of both sides of Madison Street, scheduled for completion April 15.
Also to be finished April 15 will be the paving and landscaping of Pope Marine Park.
Then a bronze sculpture by artist Gerard Tsutakawa, Salish Sea Circle, will be installed at the corner of Water and Madison streets.
Another aspect of the project will be the opening of the visitor center around March 5.
The building, which once housed the police station, contains a meeting space as well as new public restrooms that will replace the portable toilets now in use.
Miller said the current plan is to have the restrooms accessible between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m., but those hours could expand over the summer.
Twenty-four-hour access is possible, he said, but only if no vandalism occurs.
“At the skate park, we said we’d leave it open as long as there was no graffiti; otherwise, we would shut it down,” he said.
“So far, that has worked out pretty well.”
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.