Let’s hope for smooth ride for final Aurora improvements

The Aurora Corridor Project is only 33 percent finished and less than half funded.

Don’t despair.

Just because the political wrangling for the first mile took years longer than was necessary and the actual construction work seemed to drag on forever, doesn’t mean the same will be true for miles two and three.

The next two miles of the Aurora Avenue Improvement Project are moving forward. In July, the Shoreline City Council agreed on a plan for the next segment, from North 165th Street all the way to the county line at 205th Street. In recent months, surveyors have been mapping the exact alignment of the street and all the features along the edges.

With the design work being done, the next big step is to work through the environmental concerns and attendant paperwork. City staff says the project will not have a probable significant adverse impact on the environment and public comment on that determination is open through next week, 5 p.m., Wednesday, Dec, 12.

This isn’t the city’s first try at getting involvement and review by residents on this project. A group of 23 volunteers has been involved for more than year, monitoring and advising on the city’s process. And, of course, there was the paid consultant’s report on impacts in areas such as traffic, land use, air, noise, socio-economics and cultural/historical resources. Additional analysis was done on economic and water-related issues.

Assuming staff and citizens did their work, the environmental review should sail through.

Money may be a different matter.

The city has about 45 percent of the anticipated $93.4 million construction cost in hand. If voters had approved the transit and roads package on Nov. 6, that would’ve jumped to 88 percent of the needed money pledged. City, county, state and federal officials are all working to find additional funds to move the project ahead.

The Aurora project is needed for Shoreline and the region. Many rocky issues were confronted and addressed in completing the first mile. Businesses and residents have shown support for the remaining segment. Here’s hoping all can remember that as construction moves forward.