Yonezawa Boulevard project depends on Department of Transportation review

MOSES LAKE — Whether construction will begin this year at the intersection of Yonezawa Boulevard and Pioneer Way depends on a review process with an unknown completion date by the Washington State Department of Transportation.

Moses Lake city officials plan to extend Yonezawa Boulevard through the existing intersection at Pioneer Way and connect it with an access road to the new Vicki Groff Elementary. That section of Pioneer Way is also state Route 17, and any construction plans must meet DOT criteria, said Lauren Loebsack, North Central Region communications manager for DOT.

Changes to that intersection were part of a previous project proposal in 2001, Loebsack said. Some planning was done on that project, but it was never completed.

City officials have submitted a new plan to DOT, which is under review. That review is conducted at the state and not the regional level, Loebsack said, and the timeline is undetermined.

“I don’t think there is a prescribed length of time that it (the review) will take,” Loebsack said.

City officials have delayed awarding a contract for the project because of the unknown timeline. The contract would have to be awarded by June to ensure completion in 2021.

The Yonezawa extension will cross Pioneer Way and connect with Moses Lake Avenue, which will provide access to Groff Elementary from Nelson Road. Moses Lake Avenue is being constructed by the Moses Lake School District.

Moses Lake Avenue will be one lane in each direction. The Yonezawa extension will be two lanes in each direction, with a center turn lane and landscaped sections dividing the eastbound and westbound lanes. City officials propose controlling traffic through the intersection with a stoplight.

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at cschweizer@columbiabasinherald.com.