Wheeler Road intersection will stay in current configuration, for now
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 5 months, 3 weeks AGO
The intersection at Pioneer Way and East Wheeler Road was the subject of a lengthy conversation at a special Moses Lake City Council meeting
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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. | October 9, 2025 6:30 PM
MOSES LAKE — Newly restriped streets at East Wheeler Road and Pioneer Way will remain in their current configuration, at least for now. Moses Lake City Council members voted to leave the street striping as it is at a special meeting Tuesday.
“We can make changes in the future if need be,” said council member Deanna Martinez.
The road is being restriped as part of a chip-seal project that would change the travel lanes at the intersection as well as sections of East Wheeler Road east of State Route 17 and the downtown area. Stripes laid down on Wheeler Road as part of the project changed it from two lanes in each direction to one lane in each direction with a left turn lane in the middle.
City manager Rob Karlinsey said the project was at a stage where the council’s choices had narrowed down to two at the Pioneer Way intersection.
“I still think it’s two options,” Karlinsey said. “Option one is to keep it like it was and direct us how figure out how to make it work. Option two is to keep it like the plan is and stripe it like the plan is.”
Mayor Dustin Swartz said he preferred the option of leaving the intersection in its current configuration. Swartz polled council members who attended the meeting, which resulted in a 4-1 vote. Council member Judy Madewell recommended adjusting the traffic light at Pioneer Way accordingly.
“We would make sure that the traffic light matches,” said City Engineer Richard Law.
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