Friday, April 03, 2026
48.0°F

Wheeler roundabout construction scheduled for Feb 23

CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 month, 2 weeks AGO
by CHERYL SCHWEIZER
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. | February 12, 2026 4:06 PM

MOSES LAKE — If the weather cooperates, construction will begin Feb. 23 on a roundabout at the intersection of Road L Northeast and East Wheeler Road.  Moses Lake’s financial contribution to the project is about $81,000. Contributions by other stakeholders in the project was not immediately available. 

“Wheeler Road will remain open during the project,” according to a press release from the city Thursday morning.  

The tentative completion date is March 6, the city’s press release said. The work begins at 7 a.m. Feb. 23, and the intersection will be subject to traffic control until the roundabout is completed. The work is the last phase of a 2025 project that resurfaced and revised traffic patterns along city streets, including Wheeler Road. 

Levi Bisnett, project supervisor for Moses Lake Public Works, said last month that while East Wheeler Road will be open, sections of Road L Northeast will be closed to through traffic.  

The detour back to Road L on the north side of the intersection will be on Bell Road Northeast, which can be accessed either from Debonair Street Northeast or Bonanza Street. The south side detour will be East Nelson Road to Kittleson Road. The Guarding Angels Cemetery will only be accessible from the south.  


ARTICLES BY CHERYL SCHWEIZER

Road closures, roundabout, mean construction season underway
April 3, 2026 3 a.m.

Road closures, roundabout, mean construction season underway

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.”

Ybarra announces run for Washington Senate
April 2, 2026 1:48 p.m.

Ybarra announces run for Washington Senate

QUINCY — State Representative Alex Ybarra, R-Quincy, has announced his candidacy for the Washington Senate. If he’s elected, he would replace Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake, who announced her retirement in March.

Othello Community Museum to open April 25
April 1, 2026 3:45 a.m.

Othello Community Museum to open April 25

OTHELLO — With a couple of new exhibits, a new heating-cooling system, rearranged displays and a thorough cleaning, the Othello Community Museum will open for the summer April 25. The goal, said Molly Popchock, museum board secretary, is to operate for a full season.