Sidewalk project slows Moses Lake traffic

MOSES LAKE - City crews will be working on sidewalk and crosswalk improvements on North Stratford Road in the Knolls Vista area for at least another month, officials said Wednesday.

The city received a $150,000 safety grant from the state Department of Transportation to help fund the project, which will widen sidewalks, install a new crosswalk and a safety island in the left-turn lane on Stratford.

Mike Moro, a project engineer for Moses Lake, said they've noticed people attempting to cross Stratford in the area.

"There were some pretty high incident rates between pedestrians and vehicles," he said. "But if people are going to cross it, we should at least give them a place to."

So roughly 100 feet north of Knolls Vista Drive, pedestrians will soon have a chance to legally cross the five-lane road.

Moro said the city is installing warning beacons for pedestrians to trigger when crossing, letting drivers know someone is in the roadway.

Crews will also install a safety island in the middle lane of the road so pedestrians don't have to traverse all the lanes in one try.

The crosswalk at Knolls Vista Drive will also receive a face lift.

City Municipal Services Director Gary Harer said crews will add bulb-outs there, which are curved sidewalk extensions at intersections that allow for better visibility between pedestrians and drivers.

The bulb-outs would reduce the existing crosswalk at from 60 feet to 40 feet, and still allowing four lanes of traffic, Moro said.

"The lanes won't be reduced," he said. "It's just an extremely wide road to start with."

With all the improvements, drivers may see some small delays over the coming weeks as traffic will often be down to one lane, Moro said.

"There's definitely a lot of traffic on Stratford Road," he said.

Construction costs came in a little higher than initially budgeted, but the grant will cover them all.

Moro couldn't say what the project's final cost will be until its completed.

But he did say the city will have to pick up the rest of the bill.