Work begins Tuesday on a project to add sidewalks and bike lanes to the east side of South Boone Street in Aberdeen.

Called the Grays Harbor College Neighborhood Connection Project, the goal is to improve accessibility to the college for pedestrians and bikers.

Aberdeen Public Works Director Rick Sangder said surveying work will take place Tuesday and Wednesday, and contractors “will break ground shortly after that.” He said drivers can expect some traffic disruptions on South Boone between West Harriman Street — at the north entrance to the Shoppes at Riverside — to the Grays Harbor College entrance at Edward P. Smith Drive during the project, which is expected to be completed by the end of the summer.

According to City Engineer Kris Koski, the total work estimate for the project was a little more than $700,000. Rognlin’s Inc. was the low of three bids for the project at $637,206. The city was awarded federal funding in the amount of $345,531 for the project, the remainder will come from the city’s Transportation Benefit District (TBD) fund.

“This is a good example of the city leveraging TBD funds to receive grants, adding revenue from an outside source to help pay for local street improvements,” said Koski.

The project includes the improvement of ADA-compliant sidewalks and bike lanes along the east side of Boone Street, plus a new crosswalk at Boone and the college entrance road, and a short extension of sidewalk along the west side of the street from the college entrance to nearby apartments.

Koski said the city has applied for and been granted $364,000 in state Department of Transportation pedestrian and bicycle safety program funds for further improvements on the west side of Boone Street, with construction on that portion of the project expected to start in 2021. That will include buffered bike lanes, curb ramps and sidewalks from Harriman to the college entrance road, and high visibility crosswalks at Huntley Street and the college entrance.