The Washougal road diet has begun.
Construction crews started working on the E Street improvement project a couple of months ago, though residents and visitors to Washougal may have noticed workers in orange vests earlier. Prior to the construction, Northwest Natural Gas was working on utilities in the construction area.
And those in the area can expect to see crews in Washougal through this summer. Completion of the project is expected in August.
The $6.8 million project will reduce the four-lane E Street to three lanes — one lane each direction and a continuous left turn lane — from Sixth Street to 32nd Street. The project also includes construction of new curbing, sidewalks and crosswalks, as well as stormwater improvements, water line upgrades and landscaping.
The project was at the center of debate for months before the Washougal City Council voted last year to remove a roundabout from project plans. In lieu of the roundabout, the signal at Washougal River Road and E Street will be reconfigured to improve traffic flow at the busy intersection.
Removing the roundabout reduced the project cost by about $2 million.
Crews are working on the portion of E Street west of Washougal River Road, installing storm and water lines and grading for sidewalks and curbs. Once that work is complete, crews will switch to the east portion of E Street.
The construction schedule is posted in three-week increments on the city’s website, www.cityofwashougal.us.
The $4.6 million in construction costs (not including design work) will be paid by seven different funding sources. The city was originally awarded nearly $5 million in federal and state grants. Some of those grants amounts were reduced because project bids came in lower than expected, said Wes Wegner, Wallis Engineering project manager.
The city received about $300,000 from Clark County through a community block development grant. The city is contributing about $1.5 million for construction costs, mainly coming from traffic impact fees and a city bond, Wegner said.
The city has been discussing improvements to E Street for a couple of years. Speeding, rear-end collisions and traffic congestion have increased on the busy arterial. The lack of sidewalks along the street and a clearly marked crossing for children heading to school sparked additional safety concerns.
This project will address those problems.
Westech Construction Inc. of Portland is general contractor for the project.
Marissa Harshman: 360-735-4546 or marissa.harshman@columbian.com.
