EPHRATA — Traffic revisions are coming to the intersection of Nat Washington Way and A Street Southeast in Ephrata during the times parents are dropping off or picking up students at Ephrata Middle School. Mayor Bruce Reim said he hoped the traffic revisions would be very short-term. 

“The most positive hope on this is that it’s only going to be in effect for a couple of days, maybe a little bit more,” Reim said. 

The traffic revisions are prompted by detours that are routing traffic through town due to the closure of State Route 282 and Nat Washington Way. A roundabout is under construction at the intersection, part of the new Grant County Jail project. 

“We’re being told the work being done on the roundabout is ahead of schedule,” Reim said.  

City Administrator Ray Towry said the traffic revisions will be in place for about 90 minutes during the morning and afternoon, while children are coming and going from EMS. 

“We’re going to push traffic all the way to Division (Street East). We’ll have a flagger near Columbia Ridge (Elementary), as you’re crossing Division,” Towry said. “We’ll have a flagger at the intersection of A Street and Nat Washington Way.”  

Flaggers will be in place at other locations around the city, Towry said, to direct traffic to where it needs to go.  

People picking up and dropping off students will be routed down Basin Street Southwest to the intersection with SR 282, to the roundabout at the SR 282-A Street SE intersection, then down A Street SE to the middle school.  

“Similar to what they did during middle school construction. And they’ll also have to turn left and come back out that direction. We’re going to try to keep everybody off that intersection of A Street and Nat Washington Way,” Towry said.  

“Tell your friends,” Towry added.