Road Report: Road construction starting to ramp up

MOSES LAKE — It turns out that building a more pedestrian-friendly crosswalk involves digging. A lot of digging. 

Crews installing a new crosswalk at the intersection of Knolls Vista Drive and North Stratford Road had the sidewalks excavated on both sides of Stratford Road Thursday and were down to the dirt. It was well-compacted dirt too, requiring power tools to loosen it.  

Stratford Road will stay open during work hours, but one lane will be closed during work hours. Which lane is closed depends on which side of the road crews are working. Drivers should plan for delays. The sidewalk is closed in the project area on both sides of the street, and pedestrians are being directed to the crosswalk on Valley Road, which has a traffic light.  

The project includes a flashing beacon to alert drivers when the crosswalk is in use. Curb ramps that are compliant with ADA regulations will be added; an “accessible pedestrian signal” will be added to accommodate people with impaired hearing or vision. 

The estimated completion date is May 11, according to a release from Moses Lake city officials. 

That’s the only active local project, but that changes Monday. Drivers going to and past Othello on State Route 17 should be prepared for delays beginning Monday, when work starts on a roundabout at the intersection of SR 17 and West Cunningham Road.  

The section of West Cunningham at the intersection will be closed to traffic during construction, but SR 17 will remain open with automated traffic signals. The configuration of SR 17 will remain unchanged, with one lane in each direction. The center island will have a higher curb and a mound of rock in the middle.  

Most of the work is scheduled for weekdays. 

The project originally was scheduled for construction in 2022, but a combination of funding reallocations and heavy work schedules pushed it back to 2025. It was postponed again due to budget constraints.   

Drivers headed toward the Vantage Bridge – yes, it’s still under construction – will encounter delays overnight while road crews work on repaving sections of Interstate 90 between George and the bridge.  

“Work will occur from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. Monday through Friday each week,” said Sebastian Moraga, communications consultant for the Washington Department of Transportation, in an earlier interview. “Contractors will repave and restripe approximately 11 miles of I-90 to extend the service life of the pavement.” 

Crews will be grinding down the existing pavement and resurfacing ramps and travel lanes both eastbound and westbound. Drivers should be prepared for lane closures, reduced speed limits in the work zone and traffic delays.  

It’s the second phase of a two-year project to repave sections of the freeway between Moses Lake and the bridge. The first phase, between Moses Lake and the Dodson Road exit, was paved in 2025. Total project cost over the two years is about $22 million.   

The work zone ends at the Vantage Bridge, which is in the third year of a project to replace the bridge deck. The bridge also has reduced speed limits in the work zone and one lane in each direction.