News Flash

The City of Battle Ground is one step closer to the construction phase of the South Parkway Improvement Project this week after receiving the long-awaited permit from the US Army Corps of Engineers. Construction on the fully funded project was initially projected to begin earlier this year assuming the Corps’ typical timeline to review the project and issue the required permit. That timeline, however, became protracted when the Corps rerouted the city’s permit application to their Seattle office due to a staffing shortage at the local Vancouver office. “Our permit application suddenly became one of many in line for review at the Corps’ Seattle office,” recalled Public Works Director Scott Sawyer, “and we could not move the project toward construction without the required permit.” In May of this year, without a permit and with the construction season already in full swing, the city made the decision to delay the project until the spring of 2017 when bids would be more competitive and the weather more conducive to a major project. “It is certainly disappointing”, commented Mayor Johnson at the time, “But we must be good stewards of the people’s money and council is confident that we are doing just that by going to bid and construction in 2017.” In the meantime, City Manager Jeff Swanson contacted the offices of US Senator Maria Cantwell and US Representative Jaime Herrera Beutler for their assistance with the US Army Corps of Engineers’ process. Both Senator Cantwell’s and Representative Herrera Beutler’s staff facilitated a dialogue with the Corps to ensure the city’s permit application would be reviewed in a timely manner. “We are grateful to Senator Cantwell and Representative Herrera Beutler for their ongoing interest in and support of Battle Ground,” said Swanson, “they were incredibly responsive to our need.” Now, with the permit in hand, city engineers are moving forward and finalizing the timeline for construction. The city will advertise for bids in mid-January in order to begin construction in March of 2017. Construction will take approximately 9 - 10 months to complete. The South Parkway Improvement Project will address two distinct sections of the roadway. Section A, the southern end of the project from Eaton to Rasmussen Blvd and Section B, the northern end from Rasmussen to Main St. Section A requires complete reconstruction of the roadway in order to remove and replace the road’s failing base. New features will include sidewalks on the east side, ADA ramp upgrades, planter strips, bike lanes, lighting, a travel lane in each direction and a center left-turn lane. Construction activities will include stormwater facilities and an upgrade to the water and sewer utilities infrastructure. Section B, between Rasmussen and Main, requires less work with a process referred to as “mill and fill”. The first few inches of the roadway will be ground down and then a new layer of asphalt will be laid. Sidewalk ADA ramps will be upgraded and some utility work will be completed. The $5.6 million project is fully funded with the majority of funding from two WA State Transportation Improvement Board grants totaling $4.3 million: • WA State Transportation Improvement Board Grants: $4,305,216 • Battle Ground Traffic Impact Fees: $695,000 • Battle Ground Water Fund: $498,350 • Battle Ground Sewer Fund: $41,000 • Battle Ground Transportation Benefit District (TBD): $65,000 More information about the project is available by selecting the South Parkway Improvement Project link below. Follow us on Facebook at CityofBGWA for immediate updates.