Construction underway on new pedestrian crossing in Soap Lake

SOAP LAKE — Work has already started on a project to build sidewalks on one side of South Daisy Street and add flashing lights at the crosswalk of Daisy Street and Third Avenue Southeast. Soap Lake Mayor Allen DuPuy said a project to overlay a number of city streets should go to bid soon.

Daisy Street is state Route 17 where the highway passes through the city limits. The upgraded pedestrian crossing is designed to improve safety for people walking across the street, said city consulting engineer Michael Woodkey in a presentation to the Soap Lake City Council in February.

Sidewalks are being replaced on the east side of Daisy Street between First and Third avenues as part of the project, DuPuy said. Total project cost is about $282,000. 

Soap Lake received a $2.15 million TIB grant to overlay some city streets with “scrub seal,” a project that should go out to bid soon, DuPuy said. The process is similar to a chip seal, but includes a step to push the rock material into cracks in the surface. Scrub seal is designed to extend the life of the street surface, Woodkey said, but it’s not a permanent fix.

A third project is planned for Soap Lake this summer, a complete rebuild of a section of First Avenue Northeast to improve access to Smokiam Park. The road will be rebuilt with its stormwater drainage upgraded; the sidewalks will be improved and better lighting added. The city received a grant from the Transportation Improvement Board for about $898,700 to pay most of the project cost. The city provided a 3% match.

Upgrades also are planned for West Main Avenue between Cherry and Ginkgo streets. DuPuy said a construction schedule for that project is to be determined. 

That’s not all the work in Soap Lake – the Washington Department of Transportation is in the second month of a summer-long project to stabilize the rock face along SR 17 between the city limits and the Lake Lenore Caves. As of late March single-lane traffic is being allowed through the construction zone during working hours, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Drivers are stopped for 20 minutes, traffic is let through in one direction, then the other direction, then traffic is stopped for 20 minutes. Loads more than 12 feet wide are prohibited in the construction zone during work hours. There are no traffic restrictions before and after work hours. 

There are alternate north-south routes between Soap Lake and Coulee City, but the DOT does not have a designated detour.

State Route 17 also is getting some upgrades through Moses Lake, with road resurfacing runs through the city limits. The top couple of inches of asphalt will be removed and replaced, and upgraded pedestrian ramps are being added at intersections along the seven-mile stretch of road. The project started April 1, and replacing the ramps is the first step. Drivers can expect closures of the right lane, shoulder and pedestrian crossings, according to the DOT’s website. 

And construction has started on the first year of a four-year project to upgrade the Vantage Bridge. The bridge deck is deteriorating – in some places it’s developed potholes – and will be replaced. 

The work requires closing one lane in each direction over the bridge and reducing the speed limit to 40 miles per hour in the construction zone during work hours. Loads more than 10 feet wide are prohibited. 

The traffic restrictions will be in effect from 5 a.m. Monday through 8 p.m. Friday until the end of May, when construction crews will start working seven days per week. Both lanes will be open the week of July 1-8 and for Labor Day weekend. But the one-lane restrictions will be in effect for all other summer weekends, including scheduled concerts at the Gorge Amphitheatre.

That will in turn have an impact on traffic around the Gorge, where roadwork is underway to relieve traffic congestion around the venue. 

Silica Road Northwest and Southwest and West Baseline Road are being resurfaced, and a mile of Silica Road Southwest is being widened to three lanes, as is a mile of West Baseline Road. The area is subject to flagger control, one-lane traffic and a pilot car in the construction zone. Grant County Engineer David Bren said in an earlier interview that the project should be substantially complete by the end of April.

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

    A pilot car leads traffic through the construction zone on Silica Road Southwest last week. The Silica Road project, designed to improve traffic flow around the Gorge Amphitheatre, should be substantially completed by the end of April.