Herman Road construction scheduled for July
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 4 months, 3 weeks AGO
The Adams County Commissioners awarded a $1.6 million contract Tuesday for improvements to the intersection at West Herman Road and State Route 17
FILE PHOTO
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. | June 17, 2026 3:15 AM
OTHELLO — The intersection of West Herman Road and State Route 17 will be getting some safety upgrades later this summer. The Adams County Commissioners awarded a $1.6 million contract for upgrades to the intersection Tuesday.
Adams County Public Works Director Troy Reynolds said the intersection will be resurfaced for about two miles east of the intersection. The project also includes rumble strips on the shoulder, new signs and intersection improvements.
The work is scheduled to start in July and should be completed in the fall, he said.
Commissioners also authorized a call for bids to rebuild the Sackman Road Bridge over East Low Canal north of Othello. Commissioners originally advertised for bids last fall but had to reject all of them due to time constraints, said Adams County Engineer Scott Yeager during the commission meeting. A federal judge ruled the existing rules for awarding contracts were invalid, and the commissioners had to reject all bids as a result. The construction timeline meant it had to be pushed back to fall 2026.
The work is scheduled to start in October because the irrigation season determines the construction season. Project completion is projected for April 2027.
Total project cost. is about $4.52 million, with about $3.88 million coming from the federal government.
Sackman Road is one of six bridges in Adams County that will have to be rebuilt to accommodate widening of the East Low Canal. Widening the canal would allow surface water to be delivered to farmers in sections of Adams and Grant counties that now rely on groundwater. Irrigators in that section have been using groundwater wells since the 1960s when the development of the overall Columbia Basin project stopped, which puts pressure on the underlying aquifer.
ARTICLES BY CHERYL SCHWEIZER
Power lines, dam upgrades headline Grant PUD capital plans
QUINCY — The Grant County Public Utility District is projected to spend about $118.6 million on a multi-year project to build additional transmission lines from Wanapum Dam to Quincy, about $103.3 million to finish a new maintenance facility in Ephrata. Those are the two largest projects outlined in the PUD's proposed 2027 budget.
Income and priorities subject of Ephrata budget discussion
EPHRATA — Balancing requests and revenues, what can and should be done in 2027 and what can wait was the subject of a budget discussion at the Ephrata City Council meeting Wednesday.
GCFD 8 firefighter sustains minor injuries when hit by car
MATTAWA — A Grant County Fire District 8 officer sustained minor injuries Wednesday when he was hit by a driver subsequently arrested for DUI. Battalion Chief Doug Anderson and GCFD 8 crews were on the scene of a non-injury collision at about 10:30 p.m. when a car drove through the crash scene, according to a media release from the Grant County Sheriff's Office. The driver, Jorge Ramirez Suarez, 33, Mattawa, allegedly drove through the crash scene, hit Anderson in the leg, and kept going without stopping, according to the GCSO. He was subsequently booked into the Grant County Adult Correctional Facility on suspicion of DUI, vehicular assault and hit-and-run. Anderson was treated at the scene. He joined GCFD 8 in 1998 as a volunteer firefighter, said Barb Davis, the district's business manager, and is still a volunteer. He has served as a GCFD 8 captain, assistant chief and interim chief, as well as battalion chief.