Washington State Route 3

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State Route 3

SR 3 highlighted in red
Route information
Defined by RCW 47.17.010
Maintained by WSDOT
Length59.81 mi[1] (96.25 km)
Existed1964[2]–present
Major junctions
South end US 101 near Shelton
Major intersections
North end SR 104 near Port Gamble
Location
CountryUnited States
StateWashington
CountiesMason, Kitsap
Highway system
← US 2→ SR 4

State Route 3 (SR 3) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Washington, serving the Kitsap Peninsula in Mason and Kitsap counties. The highway begins at U.S. Route 101 (US 101) south of Shelton and travels northeast onto the Kitsap Peninsula through Belfair to Gorst, where it intersects SR 16 and begins its freeway. SR 3 travels west of Bremerton, Silverdale and Poulsbo before it terminates at the eastern end of the Hood Canal Bridge, signed as SR 104. The highway is designated as a Strategic Highway Network (STRAHNET) corridor under the National Highway System as the main thoroughfare connecting both parts of Naval Base Kitsap and is also part of the Highways of Statewide Significance program.

SR 3 was established during the 1964 highway renumbering and codified in 1970 as the successor to Secondary State Highway 14 (SSH 14) from Shelton to Belfair, Primary State Highway 14 (PSH 14) from Belfair to Gorst, and PSH 21 from Gorst to the Hood Canal Bridge. PSH 21 was previously part of State Road 21 from 1915 to 1937, while PSH 14 was part of State Road 14 and the Navy Yard Highway from 1919 to 1937. The present SR 3 freeway was opened in 1968 in the Bremerton area and was extended north to Silverdale in 1973, to Bangor in 1981, and to Poulsbo in 1983.

Route description

SR 3 southbound approaching the western terminus of SR 16 in Gorst

SR 3 begins at a diamond interchange with US 101 south of Shelton in unincorporated Mason County on the Olympic Peninsula.[3] The highway travels north into Shelton at the end of Oakland Bay on 1st Street and crosses over a Puget Sound and Pacific Railroad line and Goldsborough Creek.[4] SR 3 turns east on Pine Street and leaves Shelton, traveling northeast along Oakland Bay and a US Navy rail line.[4] The highway continues north along Oakland Bay and Case Inlet past heavily forested areas to Allyn-Grapeview, where it serves as the western terminus of SR 302 at North Mason High School. SR 3 travels towards the southern end of the Hood Canal and intersects the eastern termini of SR 106 and SR 300 in Belfair.[5] The highway continues northeast past Bremerton National Airport towards the community of Gorst in Kitsap County, where it forms the western terminus of SR 16.[6][7]

SR 3 becomes a four-lane divided freeway and travels northeast along the Sinclair Inlet to an interchange with SR 304 in Navy Yard City, serving the city of Bremerton and Naval Station Bremerton.[8] The freeway continues through western Bremerton past the diamond interchange with SR 310 and the community of Chico along Dyes Inlet.[9] SR 3 travels west of Silverdale past the western terminus of SR 303 at the Kitsap Mall and east of Naval Submarine Base Bangor in Bangor.[10] The freeway continues north towards Poulsbo past the termini of SR 308 and SR 305, which serve Keyport and Bainbridge Island respectively.[11][12] SR 3 travels north from Poulsbo as a two-lane road towards Port Gamble and ends at the eastern approach of the Hood Canal Bridge at an intersection with SR 104.[1][6]

Every year, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) conducts a series of surveys on its highways in the state to measure traffic volume. This is expressed in terms of average annual daily traffic (AADT), which is a measure of traffic volume for any average day of the year. In 2011, WSDOT calculated that the busiest section of SR 3 was between SR 16 in Gorst and SR 304 in Navy Yard City, serving 69,000 vehicles, while the least busiest section was southwest of Allyn-Grapeview at an intersection with Grapeview Loop Road, serving 6,600 vehicles.[13] SR 3 is designated as a STRAHNET corridor within National Highway System, connecting Naval Base Kitsap to the state highway system between Gorst and Bangor, while the rest of the highway is part of the system, which includes roadways important to the national economy, defense, and mobility.[14][15] WSDOT designates the entire route of SR 3 as a Highway of Statewide Significance,[16] which includes highways that connect major communities in the state of Washington.[17]

History

SR 3 southbound viewed from the SR 304 flyover ramp in Navy Yard City, built during the early 1970s.

SR 3 follows the route of a paved section of State Road 21 between Belfair and Port Gamble on the Kitsap Peninsula that was added to the state highway system in 1915.[18][19] The highway was later split between the Navy Yard Highway from Belfair to Bremerton and State Road 21 from Bremerton to Port Gamble in 1919.[20] In 1923, the state highway system was restructured and the Navy Yard Highway was numbered as State Road 14, while State Road 21 kept its designation.[21] The Navy Yard Highway, an unpaved highway connecting Union to Charleston, was dedicated on June 12, 1923.[22][23]

During the creation of the primary and secondary state highway system in 1937, the paved State Roads 14 and 21 kept their numerical designations and became PSH 14 and PSH 21, respectively. PSH 21 was extended southwest from Bremerton on the former Navy Yard Highway to Gorst, while PSH 14 turned south at Gorst and headed towards Tacoma. A branch of PSH 14, named SSH 14A, was designated on a gravel road that connected the main highway at Belfair to US 101 in Shelton.[24][25] In 1955, PSH 21 was extended southwest along PSH 14 from Gorst to Union, shortening PSH 14 to its current route as SR 16.[26][27]

During the 1964 highway renumbering, a new state route system replaced the existing primary and secondary state highways and SR 3 was designated along SSH 14A, PSH 14, and PSH 21 on its present route when it was codified in 1970.[2][28][29] Construction of the freeway section of SR 3 began in 1963 between SR 304 in Navy Yard City and Silverdale west of Bremerton and was opened in February 1968 at a cost of $2.2 million.[30][31] The freeway was extended north towards Poulsbo in late 1973,[32][33] and further north to Naval Submarine Base Bangor in 1981 after the arrival of Ohio-class submarines at Bangor.[34][35] The Poulsbo section was widened and extended through an interchange with SR 305 in the early 1990s.[36] The freeway was originally intended to connect with SR 16 (itself upgraded to a freeway in the 1970s and 1980s) with a bridge across the Sinclair Inlet.[31]

In the 2000s, WSDOT re-built the interchange between SR 3 and SR 303 in Silverdale at a cost of $26 million, paid for by a 2003 gas tax. The new interchange, opened in November 2007, split the western terminus of SR 303 between two exits, signed as 45A and 45B,[1] and removed a loop ramp that created turning conflicts.[10][37] WSDOT began study of a Belfair bypass in 1966 and completed a provisional report in 2010 that did not recommend constructing a bypass of the community,[38] instead opting for a project to widen the highway and add safety improvements that began work in late 2013.[39] The project was revived later in the decade and is scheduled to be completed by 2026, carrying the new alignment of SR 3 while the existing road remains as a business route through Belfair.[40][41]

Major intersections

CountyLocationmi[1]kmExitDestinationsNotes
Mason​0.00–
0.11		0.00–
0.18		 US 101 – Port Angeles, OlympiaSouthern terminus, interchange
Allyn-Grapeview23.2337.39
 SR 302 east – Tacoma		Western terminus of SR 302
​24.8840.04
 SR 106 west – Union		Eastern terminus of SR 106
Belfair26.3542.41
 SR 300 west – Belfair State Park		Eastern terminus of SR 300
KitsapGorst34.15–
34.23		54.96–
55.09


 SR 16 Spur to SR 16 east – Port Orchard, Tacoma		Western terminus of SR 16 Spur
34.6455.75
 SR 16 east – Port Orchard, Tacoma, Business District		Western terminus of SR 16
South end of freeway
Navy Yard City36.04–
36.23		58.00–
58.31		36
 SR 304 east – Bremerton		Western terminus of SR 304, no southbound exit
Bremerton36.98–
37.81		59.51–
60.85		37Auto Center Way, Loxie Eagans Boulevard
37.99–
38.70		61.14–
62.28		38
 SR 310 east (Kitsap Way)		Western terminus of SR 310
38.91–
39.70		62.62–
63.89		39Austin Drive – Kitsap Lake
Erlands Point-Kitsap Lake40.68–
41.66		65.47–
67.05		Chico Way – Chico
Silverdale42.88–
43.96		69.01–
70.75		43Newberry Hill Road
45.10–
45.16		72.58–
72.68		45A SR 303 (Kitsap Mall Boulevard) – Kitsap Mall, SilverdaleNorthbound exit and southbound entrance
45.54–
46.19		73.29–
74.34		45B
 SR 303 south (Waaga Way) – East Bremerton
​46.37–
47.28		74.63–
76.09		47Trigger Avenue
Bangor47.82–
48.96		76.96–
78.79
 SR 308 east (Luoto Road) – Keyport, Naval Base Kitsap
Poulsbo51.77–
51.87		83.32–
83.48		Finn Hill Road
52.36–
53.23		84.27–
85.67
 SR 305 south – Poulsbo, Bainbridge Island
North end of freeway
​59.8196.25 SR 104 (Hood Canal Bridge) – Port Gamble, Kingston, Port Townsend, Port AngelesNorthern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

  1. ^ a b c d Strategic Planning Division (March 5, 2012). State Highway Log Planning Report 2011, SR 2 to SR 971 (PDF) (Report). Washington State Department of Transportation. pp. 187–202. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  2. ^ a b "47.17.010: State route No. 3". Revised Code of Washington. Washington State Legislature. 1970. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  3. ^ "SR 101: Junction SR 3/W Golden Pheasant Road" (PDF). Washington State Department of Transportation. April 25, 2012. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  4. ^ a b 2011 Washington State Rail System (PDF) (Map). Washington State Department of Transportation. January 2012. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  5. ^ "SR 3: Junction SR 300" (PDF). Washington State Department of Transportation. November 22, 2005. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  6. ^ a b Google (March 5, 2013). "State Route 3" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  7. ^ "SR 3: Junction SR 16/SR 16 Spur Gorst" (PDF). Washington State Department of Transportation. January 28, 2011. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  8. ^ "SR 3: Junction SR 304" (PDF). Washington State Department of Transportation. November 3, 2008. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  9. ^ "SR 3: Junction SR 310/Kitsap Way" (PDF). Washington State Department of Transportation. September 28, 2001. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  10. ^ a b "SR 3: Junction SR 303/Kitsap Mall Boulevard" (PDF). Washington State Department of Transportation. June 1, 2010. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  11. ^ "SR 3: Junction SR 308/Luoto Road" (PDF). Washington State Department of Transportation. February 26, 2009. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  12. ^ "SR 3: Junction SR 305" (PDF). Washington State Department of Transportation. May 2, 2011. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  13. ^ Staff (2011). "2011 Annual Traffic Report" (PDF). Washington State Department of Transportation. pp. 64–66. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  14. ^ National Highway System: Washington (PDF) (Map). Federal Highway Administration. October 1, 2012. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  15. ^ "What is the National Highway System?". Federal Highway Administration. September 26, 2012. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  16. ^ "Transportation Commission List of Highways of Statewide Significance" (PDF). Washington State Transportation Commission. July 26, 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 24, 2013. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  17. ^ Lorenzo, Judy. "Highways of Statewide Significance". Washington State Department of Transportation. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  18. ^ Washington State Legislature (March 19, 1915). "Chapter 164: Classification of Highways". Session Laws of the State of Washington. Session Laws of the State of Washington (1915 ed.). Olympia, Washington: Washington State Legislature. p. 491. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  19. ^ State of Washington Showing State Highways Authorized by Legislative Acts of 1915 (DJVU) (Map). Bureau of Statistics and Immigration of the State of Washington. 1915. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  20. ^ Washington State Legislature (March 14, 1919). "Chapter 110: Amending Highway Classification Act". Session Laws of the State of Washington. Session Laws of the State of Washington (1919 ed.). Olympia, Washington: Washington State Legislature. pp. 269–270. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  21. ^ Washington State Legislature (March 19, 1923). "Chapter 185: Primary and Secondary State Highways". Session Laws of the State of Washington. Session Laws of the State of Washington (1923 ed.). Olympia, Washington: Washington State Legislature. p. 631. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  22. ^ "Dedicate Navy Yard Highway". Spokane Daily Chronicle. June 13, 1923. p. 10. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  23. ^ Highway Map: State of Washington (DJVU) (Map). Department of Highways. January 1931. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  24. ^ Washington State Legislature (March 17–18, 1937). "Chapter 190: Establishment of Primary State Highways, Chapter 270: Classification of Public Highways". Session Laws of the State of Washington (PDF). Session Laws of the State of Washington (1937 ed.). Olympia, Washington: Washington State Legislature. pp. 940–942, 1010. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  25. ^ Highways of the State of Washington (DJVU) (Map). Department of Highways. 1939. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  26. ^ Washington State Legislature (1955). "Chapter 383". Session Laws of the State of Washington. Session Laws of the State of Washington (1955 ed.). Olympia, Washington: Washington State Legislature.
  27. ^ Seattle, 1958 (JPG) (Map). 1:250,000. United States Geological Survey. 1958. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  28. ^ Prahl, C. G. (December 1, 1965). "Identification of State Highways" (PDF). Washington State Highway Commission, Department of Highways. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  29. ^ Seattle, 1965 (JPG) (Map). 1:250,000. United States Geological Survey. 1965. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  30. ^ "Owners Told Look Locally". Tri-City Herald. August 21, 1963. p. 5. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  31. ^ a b "Bremerton Freeway Opens". Washington Highways. Washington State Highway Commission. March 1968. p. 23. Retrieved November 3, 2021 – via WSDOT Library Digital Collections.
  32. ^ "Bremerton loses gas". Tri-City Herald. September 7, 1973. p. 85. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  33. ^ Ferguson, Adele (August 7, 1974). "Report from Olympia: The skunks are getting it the hard way". Daily Record. p. 6. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  34. ^ "Freeway planned for Trident base". The Spokesman-Review. September 22, 1977. p. 5. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  35. ^ Friedrich, Ed (December 29, 2012). "35 years ago, Trident subs changed face of Kitsap". Kitsap Sun. Archived from the original on January 20, 2013. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  36. ^ Baker, Travis (May 6, 1992). "Contract let to extend freeway". The Sun. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  37. ^ Cook, Jeff (November 2007). "SR 3 - SR 303 Interchange (Waaga Way) - Complete November 2007". Washington State Department of Transportation. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  38. ^ Dayton, Kevin (June 23, 2010). "Belfair Bypass Provisio Report" (PDF). Washington State Department of Transportation. pp. 2, 7. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  39. ^ Fuchs, Steve. "SR 3 - Belfair Area - Widening and Safety Improvements". Washington State Department of Transportation. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  40. ^ Shephard Bull, Arla (February 13, 2019). "State selects firm to design Belfair bypass". Kitsap Sun. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  41. ^ "SR 3 - Freight Corridor - New Alignment". Washington State Department of Transportation. Retrieved November 4, 2021.

External links

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