During a Monday, April 20 meeting, Battle Ground City Council members signaled support for continuing the long-delayed Northwest Fifth Street project while calling for more coordination with the school district.
The project, which began early planning in 2021, would construct a collector street running from North Parkway Avenue to State Route 503 along the north side of CAM Academy. The roadway would also connect to neighborhood streets to the north.
The extension is part of the state’s Connecting Washington funding package aimed at reducing congestion along the state Route 503 and 502 corridor. The city received $7.7 million from the legislature in 2016 to support completion of several related traffic improvement projects, and has roughly $2.6 million left. Such projects included the extension of Northwest Fifth Way, north of Fred Meyer, into state Route 503 and intersection improvements on West 12th Avenue and West Main Street in April 2018, both of which together cost $1.53 million.
Northwest Fifth Street, initially anticipated to be complete by 2022, remains in the design phase due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic and cost inflation. On Monday, Public Works Director Mark Herceg presented early design features and asked council members whether to continue pursuing the project and how to approach ongoing concerns from the Battle Ground School District.
The proposed collector road has created some friction with Battle Ground Public Schools, largely centered on how the roadway could impact CAM Academy property and student activity areas. While no version of the project removes ballfields entirely, portions of the area’s softball fields could be reduced.
During the workshop, Councilmember Troy McCoy asked if the amount cut from the ballfields would make the fields ineligible for playoff games.
“It definitely cuts the corner,” Herceg said. “Once we have a final design, we’ll know exactly how much that trims and then … essentially what we have to do to fix that.”
“Although I don't want that to happen, I don't think that should be exclusionary for this project because I believe this council owes it to this community to continue the discussion of more sports fields,” McCoy replied, adding the community was clear that a pool and sports fields were high on the list of desired focuses in a community poll taken by the city.
The proposed connection of Northwest Fifth Street and State Route 503 would align with the current Northwest Fifth Way intersection, which currently only allows right-in, right-out access to the southbound lane due to a median barrier. At this stage, the Washington state Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has approved only a right-in, right-out connection for Northwest Fifth Street, meaning drivers would not be able to directly cross state Route 503.
It is anticipated that around 2,650 cars will travel through the new road a day by 2044, according to projections. While the road will bring some relief for the state Route 502/state Route 503 intersection, McCoy asked whether the city should consider prioritizing the construction of a roundabout on the intersection of Onsdorff Boulevard and state Route 503, currently in the preliminary engineering phase, which is now a four-legged signalized intersection. Herceg said that, in terms of traffic impact on the state Route 502/state Route 503 intersection, the Onsdorff/state Route 503 intersection will be more impactful in alleviating that.
Herceg said a roundabout is recommended for full-movement access between state Route 503 and Northwest Fifth Way and Fifth Street. It would require future approval from WSDOT, though the city could build the right-in, right-out connection before a roundabout could be built in a future phase.
“That will make that street more usable when you can actually make both left and right out of there, so that was the recommendation for that,” Herceg said of a roundabout.
The city previously approved a 40 mph speed limit for state Route 503, though because WSDOT operates the road, they must approve any reduction from the current 55 mph. Herceg suggested that implementing roundabouts would provide WSDOT a rationale to lower the speed limit to 40 mph, as they would naturally slow traffic.
Herceg added that the future implementation of two lanes on both sides of state Route 503, which is a priority on the city’s 20-year transportation plan, would not cause major redesigns of Northwest Fifth Street, though a future roundabout would need to be built for two lanes. Widening state Route 503 is not on WSDOT’s 20-year transportation plan, according to Herceg.
Battle Ground Mayor Eric Overholser spoke in favor of continuing the project, including roundabouts, citing the volume of traffic on the intersection caused by local shoppers trying to drive north.
“I also agree that a roundabout would almost be a must-have just to help alleviate the northbound pressure coming out of Fred Meyer that has to come back down over back to 503, 502, and take a left and do that,” Overholser said. “I know it’s not exactly a favorable decision by all people, but I also agree … I don’t know if we want to go routing traffic right through a neighborhood, but I think even just having one of those outlets to get people right into their own neighborhood if they live there, I don’t necessarily see it as a public safety risk either.”
Council members generally supported continuing the project and exploring a roundabout option, but emphasized the need for further discussion with the school district before making a final decision.
Herceg said recent versions of the design have included a drop-off point for parents and a new bus exit, which would reduce school-related traffic on state Route 502/Main Street. He noted in prior talks with school staff and some board members, concerns were raised that a route through CAM Academy could be used as an alternative to state Route 503 traffic, if designs allowed. Impacts on the district’s ballfields may also cause concerns, depending on how much is reduced.
“I got the feeling that the board generally didn't appear to support the project,” Herceg said of his presentation to a previous school board makeup in February. “That's my opinion of the conversation. I'm not putting those words in anyone else's mouth but mine.”
That conversation took place before board elections changed the seats of three of its members. Should the project move forward, the school district would need to provide roughly 1.4 acres of right-of-way.
Herceg also noted the Northwest Fifth Street extension may have a funding gap totalling millions of dollars, though a final cost estimate will be ready for review once design work is complete.
Mayor Overholser said in a non-scientific poll he conducted with CAM Academy staff, all those he spoke with were against the project.
“As I can play devil’s advocate here, the kids play back there,” he said. “They have a small play space between the three buildings and kids will end up heading back over there to kick a ball around … I do know that this road will severely limit their ability to play.”
When asked, Herceg noted that a barrier for the area is currently being discussed. Overholser suggested the project continue forward as the prospect of more state-allocated funds for traffic improvements is unlikely, though he emphasized the need to converse regularly with the school district.
“Just know that as we consider this project, the school district's thoughts and opinions on this are heavily weighed,” he said to Superintendent Shelly Whitten, who was in attendance. “It's not just us up here making decisions without the whole community involved and you guys are a big part of that.”
