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Construction continues on local highway projects

CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 years, 1 month AGO
by CHERYL SCHWEIZER
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. | June 12, 2022 3:41 PM

MOSES LAKE — Most of the work on a paving project in the westbound lanes of Interstate 90 is expected to be completed by the end of this week.

Drivers can expect lane closures and speeds reduced to 55 miles per hour in the construction zone, which is east of Moses Lake to the Adams County line. Construction crews are working from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., according to a press release from the Washington State Department of Transportation.

Jeff Deal, project engineer for WSDOT, said May 24 that the project was ahead of schedule and work in the westbound lanes should be completed by June 16.

Crews are working on striping this week, the press release said. Resurfacing work will continue on bridges over the westbound freeway until the end of next week, Deal said.

Traffic restrictions also are still in place at State Route 17 and Grape Drive in Moses Lake, where a traffic signal is being replaced with a roundabout. The traffic light is gone, and crews are working on the roundabout. Justin Hammond, DOH project engineer, said in an earlier interview the current traffic restrictions are scheduled to be in place through the end of June.

Traffic is restricted to one lane in each direction and left turns are prohibited.

Construction crews will be repaving a section of SR 17 south of Othello, from Scooteney Road to the intersection with State Route 260 west of Connell. Crews are working on the eight-mile stretch of highway from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, the press release said. Drivers can expect flagger-controlled traffic and delays of up to 20 minutes while crews are grinding and paving. Local detours with signs will be in place where feasible, the press release said.

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