Two lefts do make a right

Lane change aims to deter accidents

MOSES LAKE — One of the busiest intersections in downtown will undergo a lane change next week in an attempt to reduce the high incidence of accidents there.

Currently, drivers traveling east on Broadway Avenue have the option of using a left only lane or a left or through lane to turn onto the Alder Street Fill. On Thursday night, the Washington State Department of Transportation will convert that left or through lane into a second left only lane. Drivers will only be able to drive straight through the intersection or turn right using the far right hand lane.

"A lot of the accidents are rear-enders," explained Jennene Ring, a traffic engineer with the DOT. She said the DOT believes the high occurrence of accidents stems from confusion created by the center lane currently used as both a left and through lane.

DOT officials will shut off one traffic light at the intersection of Broadway Avenue and Alder Street at 7 p.m. Thursday and will manually direct traffic until as late as 3 or 4 a.m. that night as changes are made. The intersection will be restriped, resigned and the traffic light will be reset. The DOT is responsible for the changes as Broadway Avenue is also State Route 171.

Downtown drivers can also expect major transformations beginning in mid-July. According to city of Moses Lake Municipal services Director Gary Harer, Third Avenue from Division Street to the Moses Lake Post Office will be closed while the city re-constructs the downtown street as part of a revitalization project. Plans are to keep downtown stores open while construction is going on, and until the project's completion in November.

— Staff report