Sidewalks, street rebuilds in Mattawa 6-year plan
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 9 months AGO
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. | July 3, 2024 1:55 AM
MATTAWA — Improvements are planned to Mattawa’s Riverview Avenue in 2025, the first project in the city’s updated six-year street plan.
The plan is subject to change as funding is obtained, but it provides a way for city officials to identify the streets most in need of repairs and upgrades. Public Works Director Juan Ledezma said none of the projects have been funded yet. City officials plan to include multiple projects when they do submit their applications, he said. The city should learn which projects, if any are funded sometime this fall.
Riverview Avenue would get a new surface overlay from Government Road to Fourth Street. Total cost is projected to be about $181,900, all of it paid with state funds.
While Riverview Avenue would get a new surface, Broadway Avenue would be rebuilt from Government Road to Fourth Street. The project is planned for 2025, and would be funded through the state’s Transportation Improvement Program. Total cost is projected at about $303,200.
The first phase of a two-year project to add sidewalks to Priest Rapids Drive also is scheduled for 2025. The street is a route for children walking to and from Wahluke School District property, which is located at the end of the street. In addition, a housing development on the street will add up to 100 residences over five phases.
Although the project starts in 2025, the bulk of the work is planned for 2026. Total cost is projected at about $840,750, with the city providing about $44,250 in local matching funds. The rest would be federally funded.
Third Street from South Boundary Avenue to South Portage Avenue is scheduled for an overlay of the existing surface in 2026. Total cost is projected at $606,375.
The biggest project in the plan tentatively is scheduled for 2027, if the project receives funding. City officials are planning to rebuild Government Road all the way through town, from the roundabout at State Route 243 to Boundary Road. Estimated cost is about $6.3 million, a mix of federal, state and local funds, with the city contributing about $1.05 million.
Other projects are higher on the priority list for 2027, including work on Second Street between Boundary and Brian avenues. Second Street would be overlaid with a new surface. Cost was estimated at $606,375, the same cost as fixing Third Street.
Bess Drive is scheduled for an overlay project in 2028 between Maureen and Portage avenues. Cost was projected at $157,500.
Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at [email protected].
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