Workshop Tuesday to discuss possible revisions to downtown Moses Lake streets

MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake residents are being invited to discuss a project that may mean some revisions to Third, Fourth and Fifth avenues, as well as roundabout at the intersection of Wheeler Road and Road L Northeast. The open house is scheduled for 5 to 7 p.m. April 29 at the Moses Lake Civic Center auditorium, 401 S. Balsam St.  

Seal coating is planned for sections of West Third, Fourth and Fifth avenues, as well as the cross streets from Holly to Chestnut. West Ivy Avenue is not part of the project. 

The section of East Hill Avenue from State Route 17 to South Division Street will be seal coated. Work is planned for a large section of East Wheeler Road from Pioneer Way to SR 17 and SR 17 to Road N Northeast.  

Jeff Holm, design engineer of the city of Moses Lake, said the total project cost is about $1.2 million, with $1 million of that coming from the state Transportation Improvement Board.  

Holm said traffic revisions could be coming to some of the streets in the project area, but options are still open.  

“There are still some decisions to be made. That’s why we’re having the public meeting,” Holm said.  

West Fourth and West Fifth avenues are designed with two lanes in each direction. Sections of West Third Avenue are two lanes in each direction in some sections, one lane in each direction in others. That could change. 

“Where there are four lanes now, two each way, potential recommendations are going with three lanes, one each direction and a center turn lane,” he said.  

Additional angled parking is also another possibility, he said.  

“At Fourth Avenue we’re looking at doing that, having some diagonal parking along by the aquatic center,” he said.  

The roundabout at Wheeler Road and Road L Northeast would be added at the same time as the chip seal project but funded separately. Total project cost is about $20,000. 

“This is actually one that you can (install) on top of the existing asphalt,” Holm said. “It should go in fairly quickly.” 

The April 29 meeting will include presentations on the options for traffic revisions. 

“Show some different options, a presentation of why and the reasons for doing certain things,” he said. “We’ll have displays of some maps and drawings, and we’re looking for people to mark down comments that they would like to provide,” Holm said. 

Comments received at the meeting will be considered in the design process, Holm said, with the goal of presenting the final design to the Moses Lake City Council in May. Construction is tentatively scheduled for August.  

When construction starts drivers should be prepared for detours and delays, Holm said. Chip seal lays down a new coat of material over the existing road surface, and he said one advantage of that is drivers can use it in a relatively short time.  

    West Third Avenue will get a new surface and possibly fewer lanes as part of a road project later this summer.
 DAVE ROBINS/COURTESY PHOTO