Road work, bulb outs will transform Chelan streets

CHELAN – WSDOT representatives Jeff Deal and Christopher Shell met with the Chelan City Council on Tuesday (Jan. 5) evening to go over design elements for the 2020 paving project and traffic control project, that includes the roads starting from Lakeside all the way up to Willmorth Drive past WalMart.

The first two months of construction, WSDOT will do work on the south end of Dan Gordon Bridge meaning that a traffic control setup needs to be in place. “We initially looked at potential detour traffic thru town and then another option we have is alternating one-way traffic,” said Deal.

WSDOT leaned towards having a detour since this will alleviate the issue of getting people backed up in traffic. Deal mentioned that the detour they planned on would run thru the heart of downtown from the now one way (coming into town) Woodin Avenue Bridge. Councilman Ray Dobbs suggested to push the detour up to East Johnson Avenue.

The only concern about the detour were heavy trucks driving on the Woodin Avenue Bridge and whether or not it could support all the weight. To this, Greg Hess from KPFF Engineers said it would be fine since it is now one lane.

Councilwoman Erin McCardle liked the idea of having a detour, it is a lot better than alternating the bridge to one way traffic. She mentioned that currently there’s a backup during school hours on the Dan Gordon Bridge.

Dobbs drew some attention to the Webster Ave. and Farnham St. intersection. He said that such intersection is a red flag and something needs to be done to it. Deal stated that they will pass on the information to someone else that can better address the problem.

A road diet (a DOT term) will bring a lot of benefits to Chelan, including safety improvements. The road diet will run from Woodin Ave./Sanders Ave. north to the intersection of 97A and Hwy 150 (by Les Schwab). The street will have a center turning lane, biking lanes on both sides and a single lane in each direction. A center turning lane will help decrease left turn accidents, while helping to lower traffic speeds.

There will also be road improvements in the area of Lakeside. At the moment the lanes are too wide making it feel like a highway. WSDOT will reduce the lanes to 10 and a half feet wide, which will help with lowering the speed of traffic. Parks Director Karen Sargeant stated that crosswalks in that area also need to more strategically placed, since many people cross those streets to access Lakeside Park. “This is something we will talk to our traffic officer about,” said Deal.

In the project, a shared used pathway will also be added for pedestrians and bikers to use. It will start on North Water Street in Lakeside, and will continue into town. Council suggest it continue all the way to WalMart. Deal also mentioned that the city will need to place new “No Parking” signs in the Lakeside area due to the new pathway.

The construction will begin in March 2020 with the bridge work on the south end of Dan Gordon the first two months. From there they will move onto the sidewalks/ADA ramps and continue with the grinding and paving of U.S. 97A. All major work will be completed prior to Memorial Day, except for final stripping. The rest of the project wrap up, which will be shifted to nighttime work, will be finalized in June/July. WSDOT will be back in town in the middle of March of this year for an open house so the public can see all the details of the project.

In May of this year, WSDOT will install flashing beacons to the street crossing near Chelan High School. Over at Morgen Owings Elementary, bulb-outs will be installed to shorten the walking distance for students and pedestrians.  The bulb out will be placed in the intersection of Woodin Avenue and Bradley. A flashing beacon will also be installed. The project will be completed at the end of May.

Woodin Avenue Bridge update
A thin layer of cementitious (Ardex) could be the best solution to fix the Woodin Ave Bridge’s sidewalk appearance. During the City Council Workshop on Feb. 5, Greg Hess from KPFF Engineers, suggested the councilmembers opt for Ardex as the material to overlay the sidewalks on the bridge. Some of the benefits of Ardex include looking like concrete, thermal compatibility, a life expectancy of 20 years and an installation time 10 work days. To add this thin layer of Ardex, it will cost an estimated $65,000 - $95,000, however, a final price is not yet set. This enhancement will not get done until the Woodin Avenue Bridge project is completed. It was mentioned that the money could come from the City’s Street Fund near the future.