Construction to begin this spring on Royal City road project
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 4 months, 2 weeks AGO
Construction is projected to begin on the first phase of upgrades to Apple Avenue Northeast in Royal City by early June.
COURTESY PHOTO/CITY OF ROYAL CITY
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 21, 2026 4:36 PM
ROYAL CITY — The first phase of improvements to Apple Avenue Northeast is scheduled to begin this spring. Royal City City Council members voted on a contract for the project Tuesday.
Public Works Director Mauricio Romero said construction is scheduled to begin either in late May or the first week of June.
Council members voted on awarding the construction contract, about $903,300, to Wheeler Excavation, Benton City. Council members also voted on a $135,000 construction engineering contract with Anderson Perry, La Grande, project engineers.
Finance Director Janice Flynn said sections of the road will be closed during construction.
Royal City has been expanding to the east, Flynn said, and the street needed some work as a result.
“Apple Avenue has experienced quite a bit of development the last few years,” Flynn said.
The road will be widened and repaved, with upgraded drainage and other improvements added. The first phase is from 13th Street Southwest to Poplar Street Northeast.
The project is funded with grants from the Transportation Improvement Board, which typically pays about 95% of the project, Flynn said.
City officials will apply for a second TIB grant to finish the rest of Apple Avenue from Poplar Street to Road 12 Southwest, Flynn said.
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