WSDOT releases latest design of Belfair Bypass, indicating potential property acquisition

The Washington State Department of Transportation has released the latest design of its Highway Freight Corridor, also known as the Belfair Bypass, a 6-mile highway that allows drivers to go through North Mason without passing Belfair.

In response to questions about which parcels of property WSDOT plans to purchase for the project, raised by residents during a November town hall meeting in Belfair, the state agency released a graphic that shows the current design of the highway.

In the photo, orange lines represent where WSDOT plans to build the highway, departing to the south at about Lake Flora Road and running to the east of Highway 3 and the railroad corridor until connecting again just south of North Mason High School. Purple lines show the property lines and surrounding lands, many that abut Highway 3 and neighborhoods to the east of Highway 3 near Belfair and surrounding the high school, that may be affected by the project. WSDOT will need to buy approximately 80 parcels to build the highway. Specifically, which parcels will be acquired — those which the new roadway will pass through, or parcels for drainage, stormwater and maintenance pullouts — will be determined after the design is finalized, according to WSDOT spokesperson Mark Krulish.

"The closer the parcel is to the proposed roadway shown on the map, the more likely it could be affected. Some of the parcels farthest away are there more for context. They are unlikely to be affected unless the design radically changes," Krulish explained in an email to Kitsap Sun.

WSDOT can't start the property acquisition process until the project's National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review is completed, Kitsap Sun previously reported. The environmental review is expected to be complete in late March, Krulish said.

Related: WSDOT's first property purchase on Belfair Bypass route moves project ahead

Outreach to property owners began in 2006

Typically, the process of acquiring the parcels begins with a letter to the property owner that their property may be affected, said Krulish. After sending that letter, WSDOT's real estate office will reach out by phone or letter to discuss the project and schedule an appraisal walk-through, Krulish said.

WSDOT started to reach out to property owners in 2006 for the project. In 2007, the agency held three open houses in Belfair, which discussed the history of the project and several alternatives for connections to the proposed highway, Krulish said.

Following that outreach, WSDOT completed a traffic analysis and report. The legislature funded an environmental assessment in 2010. The project was shelved in 2013 due to lack of funding and design began on the project in 2019, Krulish said.

In 2019, WSDOT held an open house about the environmental impacts of the project and had a smaller open house in 2020 for the residents of the Altabrook neighborhood, Krulish said.

A property WSDOT needed for the project, which qualified for early acquisition, has been sold to the state agency, Kitsap Sun reported in September last year.

"We have had ongoing conversations with other landowners such as the North Mason School District and the LDS Church. We have also notified property owners as needed when we have done surveys and geotechnical work," Krulish said.

This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Map released with parcels WSDOT's Belfair Bypass project may acquire