State holds open house for SR 17 widening project

COLUMBIA BASIN — The state's Department of Transportation continues to seek public comment on efforts to widen state Route 17 from Moses Lake to Ephrata.

The department held an open house at Ephrata City Hall Council Chambers Monday and at the Moses Lake Museum and Art Center Tuesday.

Up for public exhibit was the alternative the department believes looks most promising to widen highway 17 from two lanes to four lanes, department Consultant Manager Terry Mattson said. The presentation included proposed changes to intersections along the route, including relocation of an entrance to Airway Drive and impacts to urban cross sections in Ephrata and Moses Lake.

The alternative is not yet preferred, Mattson said, although the open house would help reach such a point.

After the open house, the department moves ahead with any comments toward an environmental document. Completing the study next spring should help with a request for funding from legislators by providing understanding of the project's impact and public support, Mattson said.

The open house was a chance for the department to garner public comment on the alternative, Mattson said.

Funding is not in place for the project other than the study, Mattson said.

"For construction, right-of-way or design, there's no money yet," he said. "We're looking, we're talking to people, we're explaining what we hope to do here and then we need to have people help us out with the legislature and see what we can work out."

Mattson expected public comment for the section of the route from Grape Drive to Randolph Road, where the highway is close to houses in the area.

"We'd like to explain we're going to add a four-lane widening, one lane at each side of the existing road, with a concrete median in the middle," he said. "Using a concrete median actually narrows up the footprint and we'd have to take less property, so we'd be able to fit that in without buying very much at all."

The barrier would also help with noise a little, Mattson said. Studies whether any noise walls would be justified will finish shortly, giving the department better understanding of the difference in present noise and proposed noise.

Some properties would be affected by the most promising route, Mattson said.

The current widening construction along the route is part of a separate job, Mattson said. The new alternative begins at the highway intersection at Grape Drive and goes through to Ephrata where state Route 282 meets state Route 28.

Department Assistant Project Engineer Eric Pierson said the deck of a new bridge was poured Tuesday in the widening currently under way. Eventually, the two bridges will be combined.

After the next six weeks, the majority of the project will be completed, Pierson said, with the exception of the bridge, a noise wall and some paving.

"Starting next Monday, what's currently planned is a 24-hour flagging of the intersection at Broadway," Pierson said. "It's going to hinder traffic quite a bit. We love the community's patience when we're dealing with it and if they find alternative routes to take during this time, it's going to take about two weeks. If they find alternative routes during this time, it would be much appreciated."

Moses Lake resident John Hobson said he attended the open house because he lives along the route, and wanted to know what's going on.

"For myself, it's an eye-opener to more understand the process," Hobson said. "First I hear we're going to do a study, and I'm thinking, 'Well, all you've got to do is go out, drive highway 17 and you know,' but the competition for funding and so forth, I understand that process."

Mattson said people can always give him feedback. He works at the North Central Region office of the department in Wenatchee, at 509-667-2899 or e-mail mattsot@wsdot.wa.gov.