State denies Moses Lake's claim of closing I-90 exit

City considers closing portion of Westshore Drive

MOSES LAKE - The City of Moses Lake is considering closing a portion of Westshore Drive in anticipation of a state closure of an exit from Interstate 90.

The city council is discussing transforming a portion of Westshore Drive into a park for a pending housing development with their expectation of the closing of I-90 exit 175 near Blue Heron Park.

As the city makes plans, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) representatives contradict the city by stating they have no plans for closing the highway exit.

"There hasn't been any contact on this issue between the city and WSDOT for the past three years since we did the paver through that section of I-90," stated WSDOT Communications Manager Jeff Adamson after consulting several department leaders.

Moses Lake Municipal Services Director Gary Harer told the city council on March 25 the state transportation representatives recently told him there are plans to close the exit and city staff advised the state plans to make improvements to the intersection of exit 174 to accommodate the changes.

State transportation representative Dave Honsinger said there are no plans to make any modifications to the interstate exits but they will work with the city and the county to prepare for future growth and transportation needs.

"We suggested (and) offered to close the on-ramp (in the past), but the city rejected that, so we left it alone," Adamson added. "My traffic engineer says that unless there's a large increase in collisions or we get a request from the city, WSDOT isn't going to revisit the issue."

The two roads carry approximately 2,500 vehicles per day and more vehicles are expected with a new housing development, according to city records.

According to Adamson, there were no off-ramp collisions and very few on-ramp collisions documented at the time.

The city is continuing to make plans to close 200 feet of Westshore Drive and removing the intersection with Hansen Road, despite the state's position.

The city wants to remove the intersection because developer Ed Greer needs to know how wide to construct the streets as he develops new lots in the area, City Manager Joe Gavinski said in an interview.

"It is expected that the Westshore Drive exit on I-90 will close since it does not serve the I-90 highway system and the Hansen Road exit serves the same function," Harer stated in city documents. "The modifications to the intersection of Hansen Road and Westshore Drive needs to be determined at this time in order to determine the construction standards for Hansen Road and Westshore Drive for the preliminary plats that have been submitted in this area."

The city proposes removing the intersection and replacing it with a 12-foot-wide bike path, Harer said in an interview. The area will become a small park at the edge of the new development.

The City of Moses Lake held a meeting with residents along Westshore Drive and Hansen Road to discuss the potential changes March 18. Approximately 40 people attended.

The Columbia Basin Herald was not notified of the meeting as the city sent out notices to residents living near the proposed closure.

Council heard from citizens again at the March 25 council meeting.

Dick Hansen proposed leaving the intersection open and limiting some traffic to one-way travel to ease congestion.

Two years ago the state improved the turn lane at exit 175, he said. He questioned why they would consider closing an exit if they recently spent money improving it.

Hansen asked the council to wait to decide on Westshore Drive until after the state agrees to close the I-90 exit.

Mick Hansen presented Mayor Ron Covey with a stack 181 papers signed by people who would be affected by closing the intersection. He said 174 people want to keep Westshore Drive open, six want it closed and one person wants a roundabout.

Mick Hansen said the closure will cause more collisions and diverts arterial traffic through neighborhood streets. He said the state won't close the exit if people use it.

Mike Shannon said he was previously in favor of leaving Westshore Drive open and signed a petition in favor of keeping it open. But he said the closure is needed to accommodate new development. Wider streets proposed by the city are necessary for increased traffic, Shannon added.

Phil Munter said the city needs a better plan to make safety improvements to exit 174. Allowing driveways to connect with the arterial road will slow traffic as the population increases in the area, he said.

Danielle Boss said she is in favor of the city's proposal. She said vehicles constantly speed on the arterial and need to be slowed.

Boss said upgrades for Hansen Road are needed and she likes the bike path proposal. She said the city needs to pressure the state to improve the interchange at exit 174.

Harer said state transportation told him they expect to rebuild the interchange in 10 years and will consider closing exit 175 afterward. He said it depends on funding availability and collision rates.

Councilmember Bill Ecret said he is not comfortable making a decision without more information concerning all possible solutions for the intersection.

Councilmember Richard Pearce motioned to table the issue and Councilmember James Liebrecht seconded the motion.

The decision to table the discussion passed unanimously.