Gorst Coalition

Over a year ago, a group of diverse community partners from Kitsap and Mason Counties came together to formulate the Gorst Coalition, with the goal to bring Federal and State resources to address the longstanding needs of the Gorst Corridor. The Members of the Gorst Coalition recognized the urgent need to relieve severe traffic congestion, make needed safety improvements, provide resiliency from sea level rise and seismic events, support vital National Security objectives and reduce our impacts on the Gorst Corridor ecosystem. The Coalition builds on previous community efforts to come together to address this generational transportation project. Working in partnership with Federal, State, local and Tribal governments along with community organizations, labor unions, and businesses, we are seeking $457 million from the State Legislature to fund this project.

Gorst SR3/SR16 Corridor

The project will add an additional lane on SR 3 in each direction from Gorst SR3/SR16 intersection to SR 304.
Reinforce/rebuild the SR 3/SR 16 intersection within Gorst to address resiliency, safety, access, and congestion.
Connect our local communities with non-motorized facilities to support safe bicycling and pedestrian access.
Construct a Kitsap Park and Ride.

Key Benefit

Reduces mainline travel time by 16% from Port Orchard to Kitsap Way and 14% shorter from the Naval Base Kitsap to Port Orchard.

Gorst Project Receives $74.298 Million for Initial Design, Environmental and Cultural Resources Review From the Washington State Legislature!

As Members of the Gorst Coalition, we wanted to pass along the great news that due to your hard work and advocacy, the Washington State Legislature provided $74.298 million to fund the initial critical design, environmental and Cultural Resources work necessary to build the project. We should all be grateful to U.S. Congressman Derek Kilmer, Senator Emily Randall, Senator Tim Sheldon, Representatives MacEwen, Griffey, Caldier, and Young for their excellent work in securing this funding. We also owe a great deal of thanks to Senate Transportation Chair Marko Liias, Senate Ways Committee Chair, Christine Rolfes, House Transportation Committee Chair, Jake Fey and Speaker Laurie Jinkins and the House Committee Chair Timm Ormsby.

The Moving Ahead Washington legislation is a $17 billion, 16 year plan that contains $74.298 million for the start of the project. Fixing Gorst is essential to our economy, national security interests and public safety. In addition, the initial funding will allow us to fully engage the public in its design and assess the environmental and cultural resources impacts of the project.

We appreciate the great work of our local elected Mayors, City Council Members, County Commissioners and Kitsap Transit. They dedicated countless hours communicating the importance of the project to our State Legislators.

Last but not least, we want to thank Jeanne Cushman, Josh Weiss, Tom McBride, Bryan McConaughy, Amber Lewis (representing Suquamish Tribe) and Dylan Doty for their work to secure the necessary funding for the Gorst Project.

We will be scheduling a Gorst Coalition meeting soon to provide more information on our Federal and State funding efforts. While we have made substantial progress, much work needs to be done to make certain the Gorst Corridor Project is finally built.

Kitsap Sun - "Legislature sends funding to Kitsap-area projects"

Strategies & Actions

Gorst SR 3 / SR 16 Corridor Project

Strategy - Step 1

Early Actions

Modify lane configurations (1001) within Gorst on SR 3 Main Line.
Access control (1002) within Gorst on SR 3 Main Line.
Operation improvements to SR 304 and Charleston Beach intersection (1401).
Construct new Park & Ride facility (8404) in South Kitsap County.

Strategy - Step 2

Add Mainline Capacity

Add lane(s) in both directions (1703) from the vicinity of Gorst to the vicinity of SR 304 to include: replacement of two fish culverts and Navy railroad trestle.
Roundabout at SR 3 and Sam Christopherson intersection (1005) address fish passage.

Strategy - Step 3

Add Mainline Capacity

Non-motorized connectivity (multi-use path) between vicinity Port Orchard, Bremerton, and Jarstad Park (1907 & 1908).

Strategy - Step 4

Resiliency

Grade separated structures (1704), within Gorst- Resiliency and Redundancy Design (1904).

Congestion, Connectivity & Environmental Benefits

Substantially reduce traffic congestion and reduces greenhouse gas emissions from idling vehicles stuck in traffic.
The project will address fish passage barriers and marine estuary issues.
Creates a network connection between Bremerton, Belfair, and Port Orchard that is more resilient to frequent flooding and seismic events, such as an earthquake which would cause debilitating damage.
Reduces mainline travel time by 16% from Port Orchard to Kitsap Way and 14% shorter from the Naval Base Kitsap to Port Orchard.
Improves the worker-driver bus commute time and community connection between the Naval Bases, Bremerton, Belfair, and Port Orchard.

Safety & Emergency Response

Improves traffic safety. Between 2012-2016 (WSDOT) reported 1,086 auto/truck accidents in the Gorst Corridor.
Improve emergency vehicle response times to essential medical facilities.

Job-Creating & Economic Impacts

Improves freight mobility within the Gorst Federal Critical Urban Freight Corridor that supports the Port of Bremerton, Kitsap County, the naval bases, and the Olympic Peninsula economies.
It will improve access to local small businesses in the area.
It will create thousands of direct and indirect jobs during the construction of the project.

Critical U.S. Naval Operations

Naval bases in Kitsap and Jefferson Counties move their people and materials through the Gorst Corridor to meet their national security mission, with over 33,800 military and civilian employees reporting daily to these Naval installations.
The Navy has provided their perspective to Federal, State and local officials for many years concerning these critical improvements to the Gorst Corridor with the intent to better serve some of the Nation’s most important and strategic Naval facilities.