Existing Conditions

Kitsap Way is an important corridor within the City of Bremerton and Kitsap County. It connects downtown Bremerton and areas north and west of the city, including the Kitsap Lake and Jackson Park neighborhoods, as well as Naval Hospital Bremerton, Seabeck Highway, and Chico Way NW. The business district in the northwest portion of the corridor offers shopping, dining, and other services to both the neighborhood and surrounding areas.

As the City of Bremerton looks to improve the Kitsap Way corridor, the first step is understanding the current conditions.

The following describes the existing conditions for vehicle traffic along Kitsap Way:

Roadway Conditions

Large crack spreading across the two lanes on Kitsap Way. Red car driving down road

Kitsap Way showing deterioration of concrete

  • Kitsap Way has uneven pavement panels that are more than 80 years old and have deteriorated in many places.
  • Limited stormwater facilities create roadway drainage and water quality issues.
  • The corridor has become a maintenance issue and needs to be reconstructed.

Traffic volumes

Cars and trucks driving in congested areas along Kitsap Way and the SR 3 interchange

Turning vehicles on Kitsap Way

  • The corridor carries approximately 11,000 vehicles a day.
  • The Kitsap Way/SR 3 interchange experiences traffic congestion, particularly during peak travel periods.
  • Intersections, such as Austin Drive, Chico Way-Northlake Way, and Auto Center Way, have high volumes of turning traffic.

Vehicle speeds

Cars along Kitsap Way around a bend. A cyclist is riding on the side of the road

Cars driving along Kitsap Way

  • Multiple vehicle lanes, banked corners, and wide shoulders encourage high travel speeds.
  • The speed limit is 35 miles per hour (mph), and the average vehicle speed is 42 mph, with many vehicles traveling at higher speeds.
  • More than 25 speed-related crashes have occurred during a five-year period.

Safety

Cars parked in front of local businesses. Mostly small parking spots.

Businesses along Kitsap Way

  • Eight severe crashes and three fatalities have occurred along the corridor in the last five years.
  • There is no center left turn lane between Lakehurst Drive and SR 3, so left-turning vehicles must wait in the through-travel lane for a gap in traffic – a leading cause of rear-end collisions.
  • Within the business district, a lack of defined driveways and parking increases the potential for collisions.

Map of safety incidences

Map with a legend showing Kitsap Way with four different shapes identifying varying type of incidents occurring in the study area, as listed in the legend.

Click image to enlarge.

Legend

 More than Five Crashes at Intersection

 Fatality

 Serious Injury

 Minor Injury

 

Potential Solutions

  • Reconstruct roadway and improve intersections.
  • Add a center turn lane to improve access to side streets and driveways.
  • Reduce vehicle speeds by removing banked curves or narrowing the roadway.
  • Formalize driveway access and parking.
  • Enhance lighting and stormwater facilities.
  • Define the roadway with pedestrian and bicycle facilities (e.g., sidewalks, bike lanes) that can calm traffic.