Road closures, roundabout, mean construction season underway
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 5 months AGO
The intersection at State Route 282 and Nat Washington Way will be closed next week as new lights are installed at the roundabout.
R. HANS MILLER/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
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. | April 3, 2026 3:00 AM
EPHRATA — The grass is starting to turn green, the trees are starting to leaf out, construction crews are starting to build roundabouts – hey, it’s spring.
At least one roundabout project is in its final phase, held over from fall 2025. The intersection of State Route 282 and Nat Washington Way will be closed the week of April 6 to allow crews to install permanent lights.
“This really is the final (closure),” wrote Grant County Administrator Tom Gaines in a media release. “The roundabout will close at 6 a.m. Monday, and we plan to reopen by Friday, possibly sooner if the work finishes early.”
The roundabout had temporary lights over the winter because delivery of the permanent lights was delayed, Gaines said. Washington Department of Transportation crews also will be doing some work in the intersection while it’s closed to ensure it meets DOT standards, he said.
The detour route is the same as last fall, along Airport Street Southeast to the east end of the city. Drivers have access to Division Street East to access the rest of town or can reconnect to Nat Washington Way via D Street East.
After years of project delays, construction of a roundabout at the intersection of State Route 17 and West Cunningham Road in Othello will begin at the end of the month.
“The (start) date is April 27, with a slight chance of starting the Thursday or Friday prior,” said Sebastian Moraga, DOT north central region communications consultant, in response to a Columbia Basin Herald email.
West Cunningham Road will be closed at the intersection, but SR 17 will be open with traffic controls. The configuration of SR 17 will remain unchanged, with one lane in each direction. The center island has a higher and a mound of rock in the center.
West Cunningham Road is also Othello’s main street, and the intersection is busy enough that construction originally was scheduled for 2023. It was rescheduled to 2025 in conjunction with a roundabout built at the intersection of State Route 26 and South First Avenue, but funding shortfalls delayed it another year.
A detour will remain in place at Jackrabbit Street Northeast between Eighth Avenue Northeast and Ninth Avenue Northeast in Quincy through the week of April 10. Crews are installing the sewer for a residential development along the street.
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