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Washougal nabs $2 million grant for safety improvements to 39th Street near high school

Project will add sidewalks, bike lanes and other safety features to encourage kids to walk and bike to school

By Doug Flanagan, Columbian staff writer
Published: January 25, 2025, 6:10am
2 Photos
A golf cart crosses 39th Street in Washougal. A grant from the Washington State Department of Transportation will allow the city to add sidewalks and bike lanes, along with regulated crosswalks, to the street.
A golf cart crosses 39th Street in Washougal. A grant from the Washington State Department of Transportation will allow the city to add sidewalks and bike lanes, along with regulated crosswalks, to the street. (Doug Flanagan/The Columbian) Photo Gallery

WASHOUGAL — The city of Washougal received a $2.06 million grant from the Washington State Department of Transportation that will improve safety on a busy section of 39th Street near Washougal High School.

“We’re super excited,” Washougal City Engineer Scott Collins said. The need to add sidewalks and other safety enhancements to 39th Street was one of the city’s biggest transportation issues.

“It has been a priority for the council, especially with not only the high school there, but also Gause Elementary School, our permit center and the golf course,” Collins said.

“There’s a large neighborhood to the east, so a lot of kids are just walking along the shoulders,” he said. “I see kids walking, with no sidewalks, on the shoulder, (close to) cars.”

The project, which the city estimates will cost $2.58 million, will include sidewalks and bicycle lanes, rapid flashing beacons at crosswalks, lighting improvements, speed advisory signs and speed bumps on the east side of 39th Street between Evergreen Highway and J Street.

The city hopes to begin construction in early 2027.

The street currently features a marked crossing to allow golfers to walk or drive golf carts across the street to continue rounds.

Collins said that while a major accident has yet to occur in the area, the city was worried about the future if the street isn’t upgraded.

“We have concerns from a site visibility standpoint if someone’s crossing or on the side of the street,” he said.

Safe Routes to School

The city will contribute about $500,000 to the project. The $2.06 million grant comes from the state’s Safe Routes to School program, which provides funding to public agencies to improve conditions and encourage children to walk and bike to school.

The grant award won’t become official until later this year, when the Washington Legislature establishes its transportation budget, according to Collins.

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