BETHEL— The Bethel City Council has approved spending an extra $5,000 for a multimillion-dollar road project, despite skepticism about the plans.
Councilmember Leif Albertson told the Department of Transportation at the meeting Tuesday that the city doesn’t see the project reaping any benefits, KYUK-FM reported.
“It seems like you’re taking a hard line on a small community for a project we didn’t even want,” Albertson said. Ninety percent of the multi-million dollar endeavor is federally funded and the rest is split 50-50 between Bethel and state.
The city did want the project initially. In 2009, it entered into an agreement with the Department of Transportation to make traffic and safety changes to sections of Ridgecrest Drive.
The city spent nearly $50,000 on design work, but a review by a later City Council determined the project wouldn’t improve traffic flow or safety. The city could have backed out, but at the risk of losing five years of DOT grant funding — a standard part of DOT agreements.
“This was not necessarily a contract favorable to the City but it is a done deal,” said City Attorney Patty Burley in a memo reviewing the project’s documents.
Luke Bowland, with the DOT, disagrees with the city and says the project would increase safety along several intersections of Ridgecrest Drive.
“We’re paving a road in front of a school campus. We’re widening shoulders. There’s the possibility that we may be able to upgrade some school zone crossings and improve an intersection that has some issues according to crash data,” Bowland said.
Both the city and DOT are spending money on the project with no prospect for financial gain.
The City Council is getting the extra $5,000 from the city’s surplus snow plow fuel fund.
