Schoonover Road construction begins, other road projects progressing

RITZVILLE — A section of Schoonover Road north of Ritzville is closed to traffic as construction crews start work on a complete rebuild. Schoonover Road is closed from Rosenoff to Rehn roads.

“Currently the contractor has ground the existing pavement and is working on clearing vegetation on the shoulder, and will then begin the earthwork portion,” wrote Adams County Engineer Scott Yaeger in response to an email from the Columbia Basin Herald. Construction is scheduled for completion Nov. 4.

The old road surface will be removed, the roadbed rebuilt with improved drainage, the road widened, and guardrails added where needed, Yaeger said in an earlier interview. It’s the first year of a multiyear project; the first phase project cost is about $3.13 million.

Other projects are underway in Grant and Adams counties:

• Crews started excavation last week on a new roundabout at the intersection of South First Avenue and state Route 26 in Othello.

Road crews will be working on the project from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday through mid-October.

Drivers will be able to cross SR 26 from South First Avenue to state Route 24 (South Broadway Avenue in Othello), which now requires a detour via Columbia Street.

Drivers should be prepared for temporary traffic signals and one-way alternating traffic through the intersection. Traffic restrictions will remain in place before and after working hours.

A lot of truck traffic uses the intersection, and DOT engineers took that into account, according to the website. It’s what’s called a compact roundabout, with lower curbs and without the mound of rocks in the center.

Once the project is completed Columbia and Wahluke streets will be converted to two-way streets, according to the DOT website.

• Most of the underground work is done on the new roundabout at the intersection of state Route 282 and Nat Washington Way in Ephrata.

Crews tore out the intersection to add the roundabout and are in the process of building it back up. New light poles are being installed at the intersection and crews are working on installing sidewalks, curbs and gutters.

The work has closed SR 282, with a detour down Airport Way which had discombobulated traffic throughout Ephrata. Grant County Central Services Director Tom Gaines said in a release that the traffic light has been adjusted at Third Street Southwest and Basin Street Southwest in an effort to improve traffic flow.

The roundabout is being installed as part of the construction of a new Grant County Jail. State Route 282 is closed at the Airport Road SE intersection during the project, which is scheduled for completion in mid-September.

Cost is estimated at $4 million.

There is a recommended detour route using Airport Road SE to Fifth Avenue Southeast to Nat Washington Way. The detour route includes residential streets and A Street Southeast, which provides access to Ephrata Middle School. Drivers are asked to exercise caution and watch for pedestrians in residential neighborhoods, and be prepared for a lot of traffic at A Street SE and Nat Washington Way once school starts.

• Drivers should prepare for single-lane traffic, temporary ramp closures and reduced speeds along Interstate 90 from the Road O Northeast exit to the Dodson Road exit. Crews are grinding down and resurfacing sections of the eastbound and westbound lanes.

The section of I-90 from Dodson to Mae Valley will be repaved in the eastbound lanes only, while Mae Valley to Road O NE will be both eastbound and westbound lanes. Crews will be working Monday through Thursday until after Labor Day, then will switch to Monday through Friday through the end of the construction season.

Crews will be working from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Labor Day. The speed limit will be reduced to 40-55 miles per hour in the construction zone.

It’s the first year of a two-year project to repave sections of I-90 from the Vantage Bridge to Road O Northeast. Total project cost is $22 million.

    Construction has started on a roundabout at the intersection of SR 26 and South First Avenue in Othello.