Project one of 16 funded by gas tax retained by voters

COLUMBIA BASIN — Crews working with the Washington State Department of Transportation finished two projects to install cable barriers along the medians of Interstate 90 throughout the Columbia Basin last week.

The projects were part of 16 scheduled to be completed with funds from the most recent gas tax package passed by the legislature earlier this year.

Crews from Frank Gurney Incorporated of Spokane began working in October to add the cable barrier from one end of Grant County to the other along the interstate. The $868,841.50 projects added cable barrier from George, four miles west to Silica Road and from Moses Lake, 12 miles east to just beyond the Adams County line.

WSDOT project engineer Bob Romine said the barriers are installed on highways if a median has a width of less than 50 feet in an effort to curb crossover accidents. If a median is narrower than 12 feet, such as the future expansion of Highway 17 to four lanes from Pioneer Way to Stratford Road in Moses Lake, then Romine said asphalt barriers will likely be installed.

Cable barriers had previously been installed over the last two years on portions of I-90 between Moses Lake and George. The two barrier projects installed this year were what Romine described as a newer high-tension cable that he said remain functional even after an impact.

"If you hit the barrier that thing's going to stretch out about 12 feet," Romine said, "That's as far as the car will go."

Construction on other median projects throughout the state began in November, where crews plan on installing 63.6 miles of barrier in six western Washington counties. Romine said the recent completion in Grant County finished the last of cable barrier needs in north central Washington.

"We pretty much addressed all the needs in this region," he said.