SR 3

[stevashe]

Catch-all thread for anything related to SR 3.

Threw this together out of frustration:

(full version)



EDIT: my description:

Talk of a bridge over the Sinclair Inlet in Bremerton, WA has persisted for decades. The current route between Tacoma and Bremerton passes through Gorst at the tip of the inlet, to the west. It is largely at-grade and not fit for the traffic that it handles.

This proposal conceptualizes a new bridge proceeding north from the WA-16/Tremont St/Old Clifton Rd interchange, passing through dense forest, before turning north-north-west at Ross Point, where it would cross the inlet. It would meet the WA-3/WA-304 (Charleston Blvd) interchange with a modified trumpet-style design, with movements kept north of the shoreline to limit the number of structural supports necessary in the water, and to avoid interfering with the railway line along the shore.

The current WA-3/WA-304 (Charleston Blvd) interchange is missing a southbound to eastbound movement; this proposal would add that missing movement.

Upgrading the entire route to freeway would qualify it for either a 60 or 70 mph speed limit.

Roads in the Gorst area would be narrowed considerably, with crosswalks added and the overall infrastructure heavily pedestrianized. The new through movement would be WA-3. The seawall would be improved to reduce flooding and business/highway damage.

edit 2: fixed to say "Tacoma to Bremerton" instead of "Gig Harbor".

(Quote originally from the Washington thread)

Well Jake, WSDOT must have heard you since they are now studying upgrade options for SR3/16 in the Gorst area, and 2 of the three alternatives selected are bridges over Sinclair Inlet!

However, they are a bit further west than your concept as the alternative going straight across similar to how you drew it was eliminated. Though I might like the selected alternatives better since the ramps to/from SR 304 won't have to be so tight.

 

The 3rd Alternative simply widens to 3 lanes between Gorst and Bremerton, which sounds like a recipe for disaster...

Link to open house which has larger images and a feedback form on the bottom: https://engage.wsdot.wa.gov/sr-3-gorst-area

[jakeroot]

I was just reading about this study on the WSDOT website, I was gonna post about it and then forgot. Thank you for sharing it!

And thank you for quoting that ancient render I made. I completely forgot about it. Apparently Ross Point has a beach they're worried about.

Alternative C-2 might be my favorite. Wider bridge, establishes that new route as the dominant movement through the area, and downgrades the roads in Gorst to local-style roads. Building a pedestrian-focused area along the north side of the inlet would be really nice, too.

The businesses in Gorst will not like any of these plans, however.

[Max Rockatansky]

Holy crap would this eliminate a headache when I'm out on work trip at Kitsap.  Someone is always wrecking at that interchange that exists between 3 and 16 in Gorst. 

[The Ghostbuster]

WA 3 and WA 16 should have been a continuous freeway to begin with.

[jakeroot]

WA 3 and WA 16 should have been a continuous freeway to begin with.

I'm sure if there was a bridge built across the inlet back in the 60s or 70s, this would have already happened. But with the detour in Gorst, it wasn't unreasonable for a route change to occur there, especially with SR-3 continuing off to the west.

Realistically, SR-3 should continue to exist; if C-2 were chosen, it could follow the south shore of the inlet to the new freeway. SR-16 could be extended across the inlet and north towards Silverdale. Hopefully with a different number though.

[stevashe]

And thank you for quoting that ancient render I made. I completely forgot about it. Apparently Ross Point has a beach they're worried about.

I forgot about it too lol. I just stumbled on it while searching to confirm there wasn't already an SR 3 thread and decided to include it for fun 

The businesses in Gorst will not like any of these plans, however.

It's unintuitive, but they probably should actually be FOR these plans. I've never stopped for anything in Gorst and would never consider it in the current configuration. Trying to turn onto a quasi-freeway sucks imo. I would be vastly more likely to consider visiting a Gorst business with most traffic removed from the area and I'm sure I'm not alone.

WA 3 and WA 16 should have been a continuous freeway to begin with.

I'm sure if there was a bridge built across the inlet back in the 60s or 70s, this would have already happened. But with the detour in Gorst, it wasn't unreasonable for a route change to occur there, especially with SR-3 continuing off to the west.

Realistically, SR-3 should continue to exist; if C-2 were chosen, it could follow the south shore of the inlet to the new freeway. SR-16 could be extended across the inlet and north towards Silverdale. Hopefully with a different number though.

WSDOT doesn't seem to like renumbering routes. If they go with B-3, I'd expect SR 3 to stay as it is now, SR 16 will switch to the new bridge, and old SR 16 between to Gorst will become SR 16 Spur or an extension of SR 166 (heck, the little connector road on the south side of the Gorst triangle is already inventoried internally as SR 16 Spur anyway). If they go with C-2, I fully expect WSDOT to just TOTSO SR 3 at the interchange with SR 16 and call it a day.