Route chosen for new pedestrian-bike path along SR 17

MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake city officials have been considering ways to make it safer pedestrians and bicyclists to get from Patton Boulevard Northeast to North Grape Drive, and Moses Lake City Council members chose a route along Northeast Market Street at their meeting Tuesday. 

The vote was 7-0. 

City officials received a $2 million grant to study the possibilities for a pedestrian and bike path along that stretch of SR 17, which gets foot and bike traffic in a section that's not very friendly to either one. 

Construction costs also will be paid through the grant, said Levi Bisnett, municipal project engineer. 

Bisnett said the study produced two alternatives. The first would build a path directly adjacent to SR 17. The second routed the path away from SR 17 through an area that's already partially developed. 

"Following the path along SR 17, that would require retaining walls through the first section between Market Street and Upper Basin Homes and then retaining walls further west that would have to retain the hillside from coming down on path users," Bisnett said. 

The Market Street route will require upgrades through existing neighborhoods. 

"It would basically follow the existing sidewalk, reconstruct it to a wider path, then continue it up along the unconstructed portion of Market Street," Bisnett said. 

In answer to a question from Council member David Skaug, Bisnett said there is money in the grant to pay for construction of the retaining wall.  

"What we are finding is that costs continue to rise, so how far we can use those funds to accomplish the design and include some of the other elements, such as lighting (and) beautification," Bisnett said. 

The second alternative would connect the intersection at Patton Boulevard and SR 17 to Market Street, which connects to Grape Drive.  

Bisnett said the Market Street alternative would be cheaper and would get pedestrians and bicyclists further away from SR 17. The Market Street alternative does have a section with a very steep grade, however, which might be a challenge for some people who would use it otherwise, he said. 

The Market Street alternative probably would reduce the possibility of graffiti, he said, something that could be a concern with the retaining wall. 

Skaug said he was skeptical that the path would be used much.  

"I get the whole "Let's have a pathway,' but I'm having a hard time coming up with the scope of the project versus the number of people who will use it. And then I thought, 'Well, what if you (extended) Patton all the way to the Market,' and had paved the sidewalk down Market Street," Skaug said. 

That would make the area more accessible to residents in the Larson area, he said. 

Bisnett said discussions about improvements in the area of Market Street date back to the 1970s. One of the holdups is right of way acquisition, he said. 

The design will be the next phase of the project, and part of that process will address the site’s challenges, like the steep hill, Bisnett said.