triggernometry | CITY COUNCIL MEETING 1 MAIN STORY (Reply)

CITY COUNCIL APPROVES BID FOR PADDEN CREEK RE-ROUTING PROJECT

A plan almost 30 years in the making was set in motion today when the Bellingham City Council unanimously approved of a bid award to start the Padden Creek re-routing project.

The Public Works project will “daylight”, or redirect above ground, 1,200 feet of water from its current tunnel and into a natural stream bed. The move will improve water quality, alleviate potential flooding, and allow fish passage, said Public Works engineer and project manager Craig Mueller.

Road closures are expected, but the disruptions should be “fairly minor,” according to Mueller. The current plan will create two new bridges between 22nd Street and 17th Street along the Old Fairhaven Parkway, according to the Public Works Department. There will also be a relocation of 150 feet of trial, which will move about 10 feet over and along Julia Avenue.

Part of 22nd Street will be closed to traffic during construction for one to two months. Local access along 22nd Street will be maintained, but homeowners will have to travel through 24th Street.

Padden Creek has flowed through a brick tunnel for the last 120 years. City Engineer Rory Routhe said that the daylighting project has been a community priority for at least several decades.

The current tunnel is too small to alleviate nearby neighborhoods in the case of a flood, said Mueller. He also explained that there is no structure to bring oxygen to the underground channel, which creates poor water quality. Coupled with these problems, there is no place for fish to pass through. Most can’t make the three-foot jump currently in the creek, Mueller stated. Nearby neighbors have even been known to carry the fish to help them on their way.

Out of 132 solicitations and six bids, the Strider Construction Company offered the lowest bid for the project at $2,859,479.51, including sales tax. Public Works brought this to the City Council, which unanimously agreed the bid.

Council members are looking forward to the project finally becoming a reality.

“I remember attending my first meeting on that. Got to be between 25 to 30 years ago over in Fairhaven,” said Council member Terry Bornemann. “It seemed like such a dream at that time to actually do that.”

The project is expected to be completed by October 1st.