More signs planned for busy Adams Co. intersections near Othello

OTHELLO — Additional warning and stop signs will be installed at 14 intersections in the Othello area. Adams County Commissioners approved $833,000 for the project Tuesday. 

“Construction may start the winter of 2025 to spring 2026,” wrote Adams County Engineer Scott Yaeger in response to an email from the Columbia Basin Herald.  

The project will add what are called gated stop signs, which Yaeger said are stop signs on either side of the road. Some intersections will have “stop ahead” signs on both sides of the road. 

Other improvements include adding flashing LED lights to some stop signs, additional striping on the roadway and rumble strips. Some intersections will get bigger stop signs.  

Nine of the 14 roads scheduled for improvement are on Bench Road and Booker Road. Bench Road will get additional signage at McKinney, Thacker, Taylor and Reynolds roads and Meadowlark Lane. Booker Road will have additional signs at Cunningham, Foley, Herman and Lee roads. 

Signs also will be installed on McManamon Road, Cunningham Road, Taylor Road and Thacker Road. What they all have in common is a lot of traffic.  

The busiest intersection is at Cunningham and Taylor roads, according to a report submitted to the commissioners. Cunningham Road averages more than 3,800 cars and trucks per day, and Taylor Road has about 2,100 vehicles per day. 

The number of cars and trucks using Booker Road averages more than 2,100 per day. Traffic averages on Bench Road exceed 1,200 per day. 

There were fatal collisions at the intersection of Booker and Herman roads and Bench and McKinney roads. 

Road construction has already started for the year, with work resuming on the Lind-Hatton Road project.  

Yaeger said in an earlier interview that the section under construction is about five miles north of state Route 26 between South Damon Road and Phillips Road to the BNSF railroad crossing.  

Construction actually started in fall 2024 and continued over the winter. The detour route for that section changed with the resumption of construction. The 2025 detour route uses some gravel roads. Yaeger said the last working day for that project will be sometime during the week of June 23.  

    Rumble strips and additional signs will be installed at a number of intersections on Adams County roads near Othello. Rumble strips and additional signs will be installed at a number of intersections on Adams County roads near Othello.