MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake city officials have started a website with information on a proposed chip seal project that could mean major changes to West Third, West Fourth and West Fifth avenues downtown, along with East Wheeler Road and East Hill Avenue.  

Levi Bisnett, city design engineer, said the website includes a timeline and a page of frequently asked questions. The website is Moses Lake/Downtown Chip Seal & Restriping Project - 2025. (Link: https://bit.ly/MLSC2025a)

Bisnett said that most people who have seen the plan so far have liked it, but that most of the respondents have been business owners or people who live in nearby neighborhoods. Planners would like to hear from more residents.  

“We know people drive in Moses Lake. We’d like to hear their opinions,” he said.  

Jeff Holm, design engineer of the city of Moses Lake, said contractors are scheduled to start work in mid-July. Bisnett said the goal is to have as much of the chip-sealing done around Frontier Middle School and the access roads to Midway Elementary before the 2025-26 school year starts. 

“The contractor will select streets strategically,” Bisnett said.  

Total project cost is about $1.2 million, with $1 million of that from the state Transportation Improvement Board, Holm said. 

Seal coating is planned for sections of West Third, Fourth and Fifth avenues, as well as the cross streets from Holly to Chestnut. West Ivy Avenue is not part of the project. East Hill Avenue from State Route 17 to South Division Street get a seal coat also. So will East Wheeler Road from Pioneer Way to State Route 17 and from SR 17 to Road N Northeast. 

The option under consideration would convert West Third, West Fourth and West Fifth Avenues from two lanes in each direction to one lane in each direction. A left turn lane would be added, with bike lanes along some sections. 

Bisnett said reconfiguring to one lane in each direction would reduce the possibility of traffic crashes and make those streets safer for pedestrians. 

“Four lanes have relatively higher crash rates,” he said.  

One lane in each direction also makes it easier for drivers to see pedestrians, he said. 

Angled parking would be added in some sections, such as West Fourth Avenue around McCosh Park. 

Not only is the Surf ‘n Slide water park a popular summer destination, but there a lot of activities in the park, from summer concerts to the Moses Lake Farmers Market.  

“We’re trying to increase parking around Surf ‘n Slide and some of those other destinations,” Bisnett said. 

Additional parking spaces would also come in handy during events at Lions Field, he said, and downtown business owner have asked for more parking.  

East Wheeler Road between Pioneer Way and SR 17 would be converted to one lane in each direction, a left turn lane and bike lanes in each direction. East of SR 17, East Wheeler would have one lane in each direction, a left turn lane and wider shoulders to Road N Northeast.  

Whatever the road configuration, a roundabout will be installed at East Wheeler and Road L Northeast. Known as a “modular compact roundabout,” the structure can be installed on top of the existing asphalt, Holm said in an earlier interview. That’s funded separately from the chip sealing, with a total cost of about $465,000. 

It will be built to allow easier left turns for trucks. 

“Basically, smooth and steady (traffic flow) is what we’re trying to get with the roundabout,” Bisnett said.  

Hill Street would also be reconfigured to one lane each way and a left turn lane. 

City engineers will update Moses Lake City Council members at the May 13 meeting and have a study session with the council May 22. Some parts of the proposal, like adding angled parking, would have to be approved by the council, Bisnett said. 

    A section of Nat Washington Way will get a seal coat later this summer.