Columbia Basin road projects in DOT draft plan

MOSES LAKE — A walking and bike path between Patton Boulevard and Grape Drive, widening 13th Avenue Southwest in Quincy and pedestrian upgrades to Nelson Road are among the projects proposed by the Washington Department of Transportation for 2025-28. The WSDOT released its draft four-year project proposal for comment this week. 

All the proposed projects have funding attached and it’s been secured for some of them.  

2025 projects 

A roundabout at the intersection of Yonezawa Boulevard and state Route 17 (Pioneer Way) has been under consideration for about three years, and it’s scheduled for construction in 2025. The two-lane roundabout will replace the traffic light at that intersection and extend Yonezawa to the other side of the intersection. Total cost is projected to be about $4.45 million, a mix of city and federal funds. 

The third phase of improvements to Stratford Road is planned for 2025. About three miles of Stratford will be reconstructed, according to information on the Grant County website. Work will start at Road 20 Northeast and extend to the BNSF crossing south of the town of Stratford. Cost is projected at about $850,000, paid with federal and county funds. 

Sections of Grape Drive Northeast and Maple Drive Northeast near Moses Lake will be rebuilt with sidewalks, curbs and gutters and repaved in 2025. Grant County Engineer Dave Bren said in an earlier interview the project originally was scheduled for 2024, but other projects pushed it back.  

Grape Drive will be updated for about a quarter-mile north. Maple Drive will be upgraded from Grape Drive to Stratford Road. Total cost is projected at $1.53 million, made up of federal and county funds.  

Construction is projected to start in 2025 on a longstanding project to build a road that would open Port of Warden property for development near state Route 170. The road also will allow trucks to access industrial locations directly rather than going through residential neighborhoods. 

Port Executive Director Pat Millard said the project has received about $5 million in federal funding to date. A pedestrian path is part of the project.  

The second phase of construction for M Street Northeast in Quincy is planned for 2025. Crews will replace the bridge over the irrigation canal just past the intersection of M Street with Road O Northwest. The bridge is made of wood and has been damaged repeatedly, said Quincy City Administrator Pat Haley in an earlier interview. The new bridge will be reinforced concrete.  

Cost of the project is estimated at $1.2 million, some provided by the city of Quincy. 

“There are private entities that are building or have built along M Street that will also contribute to the construction,” Haley wrote in answer to an email from the Columbia Basin Herald.  

2026 forward

In Quincy, planning will start on two projects on 13th Avenue Southwest in 2025, with construction scheduled for 2026. The street will be widened and repaved from State Route 28 to Road 9 Southwest, with curbs and sidewalks added. Construction is scheduled for 2026, Haley said. 

With the planned construction of a new indoor sports arena in Lauzier Park along 13th Avenue Southwest, city officials also will be extending streets around Lauzier Park. Planning and design will start in 2025 on the extension and paving of R Street Southwest and T Street Southwest to intersect with 13th Avenue. Water and sewer lines will be added and the project will require moving or replacing a Grant County Public Utility District power line. 

The design phase for 13th Avenue is projected to cost about $350,000, most of it in city funds. Construction in 2026 will cost about $$1.65 million, a mix of state and local funds. Planning and design for the street extensions and utility installations is projected to cost about $1.4 million.  

In Moses Lake, planning will begin on pedestrian improvements to Nelson Road, which will get sidewalks, crosswalks, beacons and additional lighting at crosswalks, and bulbouts at intersections. Construction is scheduled for 2027.  

Construction is projected to start in 2026 on a project to resurface and add sidewalks to Cochran and Ottmar roads in Cascade Valley from Airway Drive to Valley Road. The start of design is also projected for a paved pedestrian and bicycle path from Patton Boulevard to Grape Drive. Construction is projected for 2027.  

Replacement of Bridge 247 near Warden is scheduled for 2027. The bridge is being widened to allow widening of the East Low Canal. Bren said in an earlier interview that the bridge has been moved from its original location and will be moved back. 

“It’ll go over the original road alignment,” Bren said. “So we have to build an earthen ramp (to connect the road to the bridge deck). There’s going to be an earthen ramp of about 50,000 yards of material.” 

    A wooden bridge on M Street Northeast in Quincy will be replaced with a metal span in 2025.
  

    A long-discussed roundabout at Yonezawa Boulevard and Pioneer Way in Moses Lake is scheduled for construction in 2025.
  

    Sections of Maple Drive and Grape Drive will be rebuilt in 2025, according to the draft plan released by the Washington Department of Transportation.
  

    The third phase of improvements to Stratford Road is scheduled for 2025.