Busy summer of roadwork coming to Soap Lake

SOAP LAKE — It’s going to be a bumpy ride in and through Soap Lake this summer, literally and figuratively. City streets are scheduled for extensive repairs and new crosswalk lights, and a major project is scheduled for state Route 17, just north of the city limits.

“A lot of your projects the next couple of years will be very transportation-based, more and more,” said Nancy Wetch of Gray and Osborne, Yakima, the city’s engineering group.

Wetch told Soap Lake City Council members Wednesday that city streets and sidewalks would be the focus of a lot of work. The work starts in the summer of 2024, she said.

“Please be very patient with us, because we have some really great projects, but they don’t come without a few weeks of growing pains and traffic control and rough roads, hopefully to turn things better for you,” Wetch said. “So we have lots of projects coming this year that will be good projects, but there’s no doubt there will be some construction pains.”

Michael Woodkey of Gray and Osborne said state officials evaluate and rate roads throughout the state, and according to that evaluation, Soap Lake has the worst streets in Washington, matching the evaluation in 2008. The city has done a lot of work on its streets since 2008, and the overall condition has improved.

“But you’ve got a lot of streets that definitely need some help. So what are we going to do about that?” he said.

A project to rebuild sidewalks on the east side of Daisy Street (SR 17 where it runs through town) has been advertised for bid, Woodkey said. Daisy Street also will get a new crosswalk with flashing lights at the intersection with Third Avenue Southeast, he said.

Work is planned on Main Avenue West between Cherry and Ginkgo streets, he said. Marinas Drive and First Avenue Northeast will be the focus of a major project. 

“Basically the access from Smokiam Park to your central business district,” Woodkey said.

The road will be rebuilt with improved stormwater drainage, Woodkey said. Pedestrian crossings will be upgraded; sidewalk work is planned, along with better lighting. The project has not yet been bid. The city received a $898,700 grant from the Transportation Improvement Board, and must provide a 3% match.

The other major project, paid for with a $2.15 million TIB grant, will add “scrub seal” overlays on a number of city streets. The process is similar to chip sealing, but includes a step to push the chip seal material into the existing cracks, according to information from RoadResource.org.

Woodkey cautioned scrub sealing won’t be a permanent fix. 

“It’s a good technique to do when your streets are in okay shape,” he said. “What it’s intended to do is preserve what we can of the street network.

“Where we do get some extra life out of this, that’s what we’re hoping for,” Woodkey said. “We’re hoping to get seven to 10 years of life on some streets, so we can get you back on a more regular maintenance schedule.” 

The Washington Department of Transportation also has a major project north of Soap Lake, where SR 17 runs between Soap Lake, Lake Lenore and the rock cliffs. Rocks will be removed from the cliff face and netting installed to stop rocks from rolling into the road. Grant County Fire District 7 Chief Chris Baker said he and Soap Lake Police Chief Ryan Cox talked with WSDOT officials about some of the impacts.

“There are a lot of people with concerns, especially on how we’re going to go up Highway 17 when there’s an emergency,” Baker told the council. 

The project will require SR 17 to be closed for most of the day Monday through Friday, beginning Feb. 20. The road will be open to traffic for 15 minutes at the beginning of every hour.

“After that, if there is an emergency incident, emergency vehicles will be permitted to go through. So they will clear the roadway for us,” Baker said. “And we’ll be able to take one lane to go north or south.”

Department of Transportation officials told Baker that construction would start at the Lake Lenore end of the project and work its way south to Soap Lake, he said.

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