San Juan County Public Works was awarded a $760,000 grant by the state Department of Transportation to provide parking for Orcas ferry users. The funds will go todesigning and constructing a park-and-ride facility; the first of its kind for the county. An overwhelming need exists to eliminate the unsafe parking along Orcas Road that has historically occurred. As a remedy for the problem, a plan for a park-and-ride at this Washington State Ferries owned location, has been in the works for several years.
The intent of the project is to create an 80-100 stall parking area with reliable short and long-term parking solutions. In addition to providing safer and longer duration parking, the new Park-and-Ride will:
Discourage single occupancy vehicle ridership on the ferries and freeways
Improve traffic circulation in Orcas Village
Expand handicapped parking in the current 72 hour parking area at the ferry terminal
Preserve the natural beauty of Orcas Village
Accommodate electric vehicle charging needs
This Spring, utilizing the public process, SJCPW expects to incorporate citizen input into the design. The public process will include an online survey polling platform; another first for SJCPW.
To participate in the survey, visit www.surveymonkey.com/r/SZHLP3M
Or visit www.sanjuanco.com/278/Current-Projects
The design of the park-and-ride will be performed by Public Works staff and aims to use innovative, context sensitive design principles. SJCPW aspires to have the park-and-ride open for use in the spring of 2017.
