Author photo

By Garth Meyer
Gazette Reporter 

Almota 4 road work bumped to next year

 

August 1, 2019



The delayed Almota Phase Four reconstruction project, once slated for this year, has now been moved to next year.

Dean Cornelison, assistant county engineer, told county commissioners Monday that a package of funding documents for the road reconstruction phase was sent July 25 to Washington State Department of Transportation in Olympia – which will release federal funds if approved.

Construction plans and specifications were next to be sent to WSDOT’s Eastern Region office in Spokane this week. If all is approved, Cornelison estimated a date for the project to be advertised for bids as Sept. 9.

That would put bid openings at about Sept. 30.

“We’re gonna miss this year, completely,” Cornelison said. “We did not envision eight months of a right-of-way process.”

Acquiring right-of-way meant the county bought land parcels from 12 landowner groups to use along the roadside to widen the lanes.

Cornelison also attributed the project’s delays to a code changes that required the county hiring a consultant.

The changes come from WSDOT interpreting Federal Highway department audits of local agencies to make sure laws are being followed.

“It’s been a learning process for us,” said Cornelison. “We’re gonna add another two months to the schedule (of a project like this) now.”

The Almota Four project spans 3.5 miles between Union Flat Creek and State Route 194 at Onecho Bible Church, to widen the road from 28 to 34 feet.

Almota Four is part of a four-phase, 12-mile reconstruction begun in 2009.

Author Bio

Garth Meyer, Former reporter

Author photo

Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.

 

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