Drivers complained. Metro Parks Tacoma listened. Here’s what’s happening at Owen Beach

After drivers complained about road conditions at Owen Beach, the park closed its parking lot Tuesday for Metro Parks Tacoma to make several repairs.

The popular Tacoma park reopened in late May after a 16-month renovation project. Visitors ventured out to Owen Beach and returned with complaints about the speed bumps on the access road from Point Defiance Inner Loop Road to Owen Beach.

One driver posted on a Tacoma Reddit channel warning others that even driving at 2-3 mph over the speed bumps, it sounded like “the park was trying to cut my catalytic converter off.” Another visitor who said she drives like a grandma commented that she bottomed out on the speed bumps driving over them at 1 mph.

Metro Parks Tacoma project manager Kristi Evans told The News Tribune in June the speed bumps were designed, permitted and installed according to Tacoma municipal code. She recommended driving over the bumps very slowly. The speed bumps are painted yellow.

Evans said the speed bumps were installed to keep vehicle speeds low as pedestrians get in and out of parked cars.

Metro Parks Tacoma closed Owen Beach parking lot to drivers to fill potholes and smooth over speed bumps Tuesday. The parking lot was still open for pedestrians.

Metro Parks Tacoma’s spokesperson Rosemary Ponnekanti said Metro Parks Tacoma is smoothing over the speed bumps in response to community feedback.

The potholes have been eroding for a long time, Ponnekanti said. Filling the potholes will cost Metro Parks about $12,000 from its regular maintenance budget. The speed bumps smoothing is in progress and is estimated to cost about $2,000.

The repairs to Owen Beach’s parking lot were to be completed Tuesday.

Metro Parks Tacoma also removed a downed tree and reopened the main gate near the Rhododendron Garden.

Owen Beach celebrated its reopening June 4. The reopened park has new roadways for vehicles, safer trails for pedestrians, ADA accessible drop-off zones that are close to the water, new restrooms and a new kayak-launch slope. The renovations took into account predicted effects of climate change.The repairs cost Metro Parks Tacoma $6.3 million.