Busy intersection in downtown Gig Harbor is losing a crosswalk, city says
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Crews will remove the crosswalk at Harborview Drive and Pioneer Way starting Tuesday.
- City will install physical barriers and keep two other crosswalks open nearby.
- City will evaluate this summer using accident data, public feedback, and observations.
Starting Tuesday, a busy intersection in Gig Harbor’s walkable downtown will have one less crosswalk.
Crews will begin removing the crosswalk from the former Heritage Distilling Co. building to the Windermere Real Estate building Tuesday at 7:30 a.m., according to a traffic alert from the city. The effort is part of a pilot project to improve safety and efficiency at the intersection, after the city received feedback that pedestrians felt unsafe crossing the road at that spot because of a brick planter that partly blocks the view of oncoming cars.
“Drivers should expect alternating lane closures with flaggers for the duration of the work,” the city’s alert said. “Please plan for extra travel time and be prepared to stop as traffic alternates through the work zone. Slow down and follow flagger directions. Your attention helps keep crews and fellow drivers safe.”
The city posted an initial announcement on Facebook April 2, noting that the planter was originally built to protect against vehicles ramming into the buildings behind it. A fatal wreck occurred at the site in March 1989, when a dump truck crashed into what was then a two-story restaurant and killed a 27-year-old waitress. The planter was built as a protective measure. A second fatal wreck happened in September 2008 when a station wagon speeding down Pioneer Way rammed into the same building, according to The News Tribune’s archives.
To keep pedestrians from crossing the street on the side of the planter deemed unsafe, the city will install physical barriers on both sides of the street, according to the city’s public works diagram.
Two crosswalks will remain: one on Pioneer Way, and one on Harborview Drive on the other side of the planter.
The city will evaluate how the change performs this summer. Gig Harbor Public Works Director Jeff Langhelm told The News Tribune in an email that the city will look at “accident data, public feedback, and observations of vehicle queuing.”
Harborview Drive and Pioneer Way sees significant traffic, along with other intersections in the city’s downtown area. Five intersections including the Harborview/Pioneer intersection are allowed to operate at Level of Service F, as noted in the transportation element of the city’s comprehensive plan, which means traffic is over capacity during peak demand and causes delays.
The News Tribune archives contributed to this report.
