Towne Road parking temporarily closing at north end

Through traffic begins to use levee's roadbed

The levee trail parking lot, just west of the Old Schoolhouse, will be closed this week while a contractor builds a four foot wide, 8% ramp from the parking lot to the top of the levee.  I learned this by talking to the contractor who was there Friday prepping for next week’s work. The new ramp will allow more direct access to the top of levee so pedestrians don’t have to walk the additional 100 feet to reach the current levee access.  Workers will also be addressing drainage concerns closer to the Creamery.  Despite the County’s funding uncertainties cited for halting the roadbed’s resurfacing, these projects are able to move forward.

I saw signs posted along the public right-of-way, including at the entrance to the private farmer's driveway. They read, “Keep This River Trail Open!  All the outreach you’ve done has made a huge difference, but there is still a push by some people to pave the wider trail and turn it into a two lane road.”  The signs urge walkers to write the Commissioners in support of closing Towne Road.  The other signs, notifying citizens that the County is considering resurfacing alternatives, have disappeared.

The roadbed, or “River Trail” as some call it, isn’t within sight nor earshot of the river — it ranges between 1,000 feet and half a mile from the river.  Calling the roadbed a river trail is like saying Sunland is on the beach.  There are other levee trails that take walkers to the river’s edge, and those will remain vehicle-free regardless if Towne Road is reopened.

I saw one private car traverse the levee while I was there (it was not a government vehicle).  Upon reaching Anderson Road, it nudged the closed gate with its bumper and, once the gate swung open, it entered the roadway.  At least two people witnessed a worker of a nearby produce stand driving on the levee last weekend.  She wasn’t driving farm equipment, she was in a pickup truck stopping to urge people to contact the Commissioners.  Sensibly, she avoids a 5-mile detour by driving the shortest route between her home and the produce stand.

One reader brought up an interesting point:  Previous County designs called for a roundabout to be constructed at the juncture of Towne Road’s north end with Anderson and Sequim-Dungeness Way.  Given that roundabouts are installed in areas with higher traffic, isn’t the County acknowledging that Towne Road is a vital enough link to warrant this traffic measure?

Only two days remain to submit public comment.  If you support the County’s original promise of reopening Towne Road to two-lane vehicle traffic, all 3 Commissioners can be reached by emailing the Clerk of the Board loni.gores@clallamcountywa.gov