County construction on Stratford, Valley roads rescheduled for 2021
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 5 years, 1 month AGO
Workers make repairs to Stratford Road in October 2020. Construction was put on hold due to COVID-19, but is set to resume this year.
File photo
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | February 18, 2021 1:00 AM
EPHRATA — Two road projects in Grant County originally scheduled for 2020 are on the construction list for 2021.
County engineer Keith Elefson said projects on Stratford Road and Valley Road, both near Moses Lake, were delayed due to funding concerns in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.
“We kind of did put the brakes on (construction projects),” Elefson said.
The Stratford Road project is the first phase of a three-year project. About four miles, beginning at about Road 12 Northeast, will be resurfaced with a mix of rock and tar, a process called chip sealing. Drainage improvements will be part of the project.
The project will have to be readvertised for bids, Elefson said, but the cost should be about the same as it would have been in 2020. The estimate is about $1.7 million.
A portion of Valley Road just outside the Moses Lake city limits, from the entrance at Cascade Park to Scott Road, will be repaved. The pavement will be ground down and replaced, and there will be sidewalk improvements and upgraded access.
That project has gone out for a rebid. Elefson said the total cost is estimated at about $1.1 million.
A portion of Northeast Grape Drive will be rebuilt, Elefson said, from the Moses Lake city limits to the street’s intersection with Northeast Maple Drive. The estimated cost is about $1.4 million.
County officials also plan to upgrade stop signs with flashing LED lights at 79 intersections around the county, he said. He did not have a cost estimate. Installation will begin in early March.
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