Drivers familiar with downtown Shelton know that when state Route 3/North First Street is congested with traffic, an alternate, parallel route is available one block east on Front Street.

Local drivers also know they've been in for a bumpy ride, with cracked surfaces and potholes that made the road alongside the railroad tracks resemble a riverbed.

That changed in May when an interlocal agreement allowed Mason County Public Works to help the City of Shelton resurface Front Street between Cota and Kneeland streets. On Tuesday night, the Shelton City Council passed a resolution to pay Mason C...