PORT ORCHARD — Kitsap County commissioners approved a $1.59 million construction contract Nov. 9 to replace the two-way stop at Sidney Road Southwest and Southwest Pine Road with a single-lane roundabout, targeting a South Kitsap intersection where county staff reported 26 crashes over five years.
Reed Trucking and Excavating Inc. won the contract after the county received 10 bids. Theresa Smith, the county’s engineering roads design manager, said the three lowest bids were within 3% of one another.
Construction is expected to begin by June 2027 and take about 80 working days, or roughly four months, Smith told commissioners. She said completion is anticipated in October or November, depending on weather.
Smith said the intersection has remained near the top of the county’s intersection-safety list despite earlier attempts to improve it.
The county recorded 18 crashes during 2018–2022 and 26 during 2021–2025, she said. Those are overlapping five-year periods, not consecutive ones.
Speed measurements also showed traffic moving well above the 35 mph limit at the intersection. Smith said the speed at or below which 85% of drivers traveled on Sidney Road increased from 50 mph in the earlier data to 52 mph in the more recent data.
Many of the crashes involved vehicles entering the intersection and failing to yield, she said.
The work will add lighting, stormwater collection pipes and catch basins, along with a bioretention facility to treat runoff.
The design also accounts for large trucks serving nearby gravel pits. Smith said the roundabout’s center island and outside edge will have mountable curbs so longer trucks can maneuver through while the normal travel lane remains tight enough to slow other traffic.
The county has coordinated utility relocation in advance to reduce conflicts once road construction begins. Smith said some right-of-way acquisition remained to be completed.
Nearby residents and major users, including emergency services, the school district, postal service and Kitsap Transit, will receive advance notice of construction, she said. Emergency vehicles will retain access throughout the work.
Contract documents are included in the county’s Nov. 9 meeting materials at https://agendasuite.org/iip/kitsap/meeting/details/41.
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