Open house Tuesday for street project plans

VANCOUVER — A drop-in open house Tuesday will offer details on the city’s Southeast First Street Improvement Project, including the proposed design and details about future upgrades to the east Vancouver corridor.

Hosted by the city, the informal, two-hour event will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Mill Plain Elementary School gym, 400 S.E. 164th Place.

The city has been working on design and environmental requirements needed to upgrade Southeast First Street from a two-lane rural road to an urban street system with sidewalks, bike lanes, stormwater facilities and sound walls where required.

The overall project spans from 164th to 192nd Avenue. However, the design efforts are focused mainly on the stretch from 164th to 177th Avenue to make best use of the current project funding of $1.6 million in federal grants and roughly $700,000 in matching city funds.

The proposed design, aimed to take into account current and projected future traffic volumes, envisions a street with one lane in each direction and a center turn lane. Near the 164th and 192 Avenue intersections, the street would include dual left-turn lanes.

City officials said the project is expected to enhance safety, improve the road surface and increase connectivity for homeowners, employees and businesses along the corridor.

For more information about the project, go to www.cityofvancouver.us/FirstStreet or contact the city’s construction services at 360-487-7750 or constructioninfo@cityofvancouver.us.