Warden receives grant for walkability safety
Warden, just southeast of Moses Lake, has received a grant to install signaled crosswalks near the Warden School District campus on the south side of town.
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WARDEN — The city of Warden has received a $75,000 grant from the Washington State Transportation Improvement Board to create a pair of signaled crosswalks on S. County Road.
According to City Administrator Kristine Shuler, the signaled crosswalks will go in where S. County Road intersects with W. Eighth Street and W. 11th Street — close to both the Warden School District’s campus and the ball fields south of 11th Street.
“It’s a big deal,” she said. “Those are major crossings for kids from the west side of town.”
Once installed, the crosswalks will allow pedestrians to press a button and activate a warning light, requiring motorists on S. County Road to stop so they may cross safely.
Shuler said the grant, which comes from a program funded by state gasoline taxes, will cover the entire cost of installing the two crosswalks. Thus, the city does not have to provide any matching funds as required with many other grant types.
However, Shuler also said she does not expect the project to be done until next year, since the project will have to be put out to bid and most contractors have likely booked all their work for this year.
“It’s very difficult getting a contractor right now,” she said.
Charles H. Featherstone can be reached at cfeatherstone@columbiabasinherald.com.