For quite some time a plan was discussed to build an overpass for Saint John’s Road at SR500, with construction scheduled to start January 2011. Since I have not observed any construction activity in that vicinity, I assume that project is on hold because of our state’s financial situation. Would you provide the current plan for that project?

— Dean

It’s true that the project has been delayed, but it’s not because of the state’s admittedly bleak financial situation. State transportation funding for the $57.3 million project had been largely secured by the time the economy cratered.

Rather, the state Department of Transportation pushed back construction to allow time for additional public comment, said Heidi Sauce, a DOT spokeswoman in Vancouver.

Concern from residents and business owners, largely in the Rose Village neighborhood, prompted the DOT to abandon a previous plan to close St. Johns Boulevard entirely for a year during construction. Now, the DOT plans to keep the road open. Sauce said it took time for planners to gather public comment, then re-sequence the schedule to accommodate traffic on St. Johns during construction. She said the DOT is reviewing bids before it awards the contract. She said construction will get under way this spring, with completion in two years.

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