Moses Lake streets on the mend

MOSES LAKE — Drivers have found themselves face to face with orange cones and hard hat-wearing workers with stop signs in the last few days on roads like Pioneer Way and Wheeler Road.

Road workers have been mending a number of city streets this month, part of annual chip seal road construction work in Moses Lake. And while the construction may cause delays, city officials ask drivers to be patient as the work continues over the next few weeks.

Much of this year's work on city streets should be completed in the near future, according to city municipal services director Gary Harer. Contractor Central Washington Asphalt has been focusing its attention on arterial routes like Wheeler and Nelson Roads, Grape Drive and Pioneer Way so far. When that work is done, Harer said crews will switch gears to other roads.

"The whole project should be complete in the next couple weeks," he said.

Roads within Moses Lake are treated in a cycle, and Harer said those roads may again face chip and crack seal repairs again in five to seven years. The work is done in lieu of and to prevent complete road rebuilds and road overlays, which Harer said have become more costly.

"We've been doing this since about 1989 or so on a steady schedule," Harer said, "which has saved the city millions of dollars."

Portions of a number of roads have been slated for improvements this year. Riviera Avenue, Hill Avenue, Hill Place, Balsam Street, Garden Drive, Hunter Place, Sharon Avenue, Beaumont Drive, Crestmont Drive, Baron Place and Marquis Avenue will also see crews on them before construction is through. According to the city of Moses Lake, approximately 160,000 square yards will see chip sealing this year.

Some additional work originally slated for last summer is also scheduled to be completed in the next few weeks, Harer said. That work was halted last year because of cooler weather than preferred for chip seal work, Harer said.

"The hot weather sets that asphalt up quicker," Harer said, "so traffic can get on there quicker."

Crews began work after the Moses Lake City Council approved bids for the project in May. At their May 24 meeting, the council approved a bid of approximately $340,000 to be spent on road chip sealing this year.

Harer said the work is being done as a sort of preventative measure, so city won't have to pay for more expensive road overlay construction. City staff suggests asphalt cracks should be repaired every five to seven years with sealant work done every seven years.

If this preventative work is not done, city documents state surface oxidation will continue on roads that could lead to roads unable to be repaired, resulting in high-cost overlay construction projects. In Moses Lake, Harer said chip sealing is being done this summer, following a slate of crack sealing construction work done earlier this spring.

Harer said the city does appreciate patience from the public with regard to road construction, and said they try to finish chip sealing as fast as they can, rather than pay twice as much for road overlays.