Money for Tucker

Tucker Avenue – Tim Dustrude photo

State Transportation Improvement Board Awards New Grant to Friday Harbor

The Washington State Transportation Improvement Board (TIB) announced their annual grant awards today and the Town of Friday Harbor will be the recipient of $800,000 for the reconstruction of the first phase of Tucker Avenue. The TIB is a state organization funded by a portion of the gas tax charged on each gallon of gasoline sold within Washington. Tucker Avenue is an arterial street and is one of the highest ranked projects on the Town Six-Year Transportation Improvement Plan.

Town staff worked with the Engineering firm of Gray and Osborne to secure the funding. This is the third year in a row that the Town has received road construction monies, having previously been awarded grants in 2012 and 2013 that funded over 80% of the Blair Avenue project and Mullis sidewalk project.

The project plan submitted for Tucker includes improvements from the intersection with Guard Street down the hill to Harbor Avenue, just past the Town wastewater treatment facility. The total project cost for this phase is estimated at $1.1 million dollars of which $800,000 would come from the TIB. The Town anticipates paying their portion of project expenses from the recently adopted Transportation Benefit District sales tax of two-tenths of one-percent that will start in April of 2015. Annual revenues from this new tax are anticipated to be $240,000.

The Town will be awarding a contract for the engineering of this project in 2015 and anticipates construction will be completed in 2016. “This is very exciting news” said Mayor Carrie Lacher. “To receive such a significant grant three years in a row is a wonderful vote of confidence from the TIB. I really appreciate the hard work of our staff and engineers in making this happen.”

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