State funds Soap Lake street repairs

SOAP LAKE - The state Transportation Improvement Board set aside $611,000 from the Small City Arterial Program for street and sidewalk work in Soap Lake.

The city is putting $39,000 of its own money into the project, which will repair damaged sidewalks on both sides of Main Avenue from Daisy to Aster streets and construct Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessible ramps, according to Mayor Wayne Hovde, who announced the award to city council last week.

The cost covers running street light power underground and chip sealing on Main from Daisy to Division streets to extend pavement life.

The city applied for and was denied a second state grant in addition to the Main Avenue project, Hovde said. That work would have repaved roads east of Daisy, including First, Second, Third, Fourth and Elder streets.

Hovde explained there's still a chance the state board could find money for the Elder Street project, as bids for several state projects are coming in under budget.

"(The project) has been hip pocketed," Hovde said. "If in fact there is money left at the end of the season of bidding ... we might still obtain it."

Council approved a $64,500 contract last week for engineering services on the Main Avenue project. Jeff Stevens with Gray and Osborne, who serves as the city engineer, said design work will extend from Daisy to Division, although the city may not be able to extend the project quite that far.

"We're limited to some extent by how much (the board) will pay for," Stevens said. "If we get good bids it will allow us to do more."