A roundabout is coming this fall to the Kent intersection of Fourth Avenue South and Willis Street at a cost of $4.75 million.
Construction will start this summer and is expected to be completed in the fall. The Kent City Council at its virtual meeting Tuesday approved a low bid of $4.75 million for the project by Tacoma-based Active Construction, Inc.
A $3 million state Department of Transportation grant will help fund construction. The rest of the cost will be paid for by city B&O, utility and drainage tax funds, according to city documents. The existing signalization intersection will be replaced with a two-lane roundabout. The intersection will remain open during construction, but traffic will be reduced to one lane in all directions. There may be several weekend closures.
The state Department of Transportation required the city to build a roundabout along State Route 516 (aka Willis Street) in exchange for allowing the city to extend Naden Avenue and allow right in/right out traffic access from the Naden site to Willis Street. City officials wanted the access to attract developers to potentially purchase the city property, which sits just northwest of the Fourth and Willis intersection.
“Naden Avenue access was granted by the state after about 20 years of desire,” City Public Works Director Tim LaPorte told the council. “We got it approved and the state made it clear they expected us to build a roundabout. The mayor and others got a $3 million grant from the Legislature, and we received interest in developing the property. The property is being developed with the understanding that the roundabout will allow greater access.”
The only current access to the Naden property is from West Meeker Street to the north.
The council unanimously approved in January a purchase and sale agreement with Boise, Idaho-based Braintree Hospitality to sell 2.2 acres on the south end of the 7.7-acre city property for $2.6 million. Braintree plans to build a four-story, 136-room Hilton Garden Inn on the vacant property.
But many details remain before the deal closes next year on the property just north of Willis Street and east of Highway 167. A closing date of March 25, 2021, has been set. Braintree must receive franchise approval from Hilton, go through the city permit process and negotiate a development agreement with the city that will include specific hotel design, specific road design, a construction timeline and easement to the city for the road.
The city received three bids on the roundabout project. The other two submitted bids were $5.2 million by Gig Harbor-based Sound Pacific Construction and $5.7 million by Auburn-based R.W. Scott Construction.
“I’m very pleased with the bids,” LaPorte said. “The $4.7 million is well below the engineer’s estimate and well within the ability in our budget to cover it.”
The engineer’s estimate for the project was $5.1 million.
The city started to purchase property along Naden Avenue in 2006 with plans to build an aquatic center. But after spending $8 million to acquire properties, the council later abandoned that proposal because of the bad economy and high costs of a new pool. City leaders later worked out an agreement with the YMCA to build a facility with a pool on the East Hill that opened in September. The council agreed in 2016 to try to sell the Naden property.
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