ROYAL CITY — Reconstruction of Apple Avenue Northeast in Royal City has been delayed, but it’s still scheduled for completion in 2026. 

“Originally we hoped it would start in June, but the contractor had to move it back to August,” said Janice Flynn, Royal City finance director. 

Apple Avenue will be rebuilt from Road 13 Southwest, at the city limits, to Poplar Street Northeast. The road will be completely rebuilt and widened to accommodate increased traffic. The project includes upgraded drainage and stormwater improvements, curb and gutter improvements, and installing ADA-compliant ramps on sidewalks.  

The upgrades are scheduled to take about two months, with some sections of the road closed during different phases construction. Total project cost will be about $1.06 million with about $52,000 of that coming from the city. The rest, about 95 percent, will be paid through a grant from the Transportation Improvement Board. The Royal City City Council awarded a contract for about $903,300 to Wheeler Excavation, Benton City, for the project in April.  

Royal City is growing, and one of the places that growth is showing up is along streets that have Apple Avenue as an access point.  Continuing residential development is underway along Poplar Street between Apple Avenue an Ahlers Avenue North; an existing apartment complex now has single-family homes around it with more development planned.  

Apple Avenue has been getting a lot more traffic as a result, Flynn said in an earlier interview.  

Once the first phase is completed city officials plan to apply for an additional TIB grant for the second phase of the project, from Poplar to Slate streets. The third phase would finish the upgrades from Slate to the intersection with Road 12 Southwest. 

Apple Avenue does connect Road 12 SW and SR 26. However, the section from Road 13 Southwest to SR 26 are outside the Royal City city limits. Any work on that section would be the responsibility of Grant County, Flynn said.