Fixing dangerous and crowded Tri-Cities roads halted as state fights car tab cuts
Several Mid-Columbia transportation construction projects are likely on hold at least six months because of the passage of Initiative 976.
They include multimillion-dollar projects in Richland, Kennewick and Pasco, plus nearby areas, according to a new list released last week by the Washington state Department of Transportation.
The projects to make roads safer and less crowded range from a deadly stretch of Highway 12 between Pasco and Walla Walla to the segment of Highway 240 snarled with congestion by thousands of Hanford commuters.
Gov. Jay Inslee directed the department to postpone projects not yet underway the day after the Nov. 6 election.
Then last week, a King County judge put the implementation of I-976 on hold — extending the delay.
“The state will take a fiscally prudent approach by effectively continuing to act as if the initiative is still in place from a state spending perspective,” Inslee said.
The initiative, which would limit annual motor-vehicle license fees to $30 and make other changes, was set to start Dec. 5.
Postponing many projects planning to use state money will give the governor and the Legislature more time to decide how to amend the state’s 2019-’21 transportation budget because of I-976 funding cuts, Roger Millar, the state transportation secretary, said in a statement last week.
The state announced an estimated loss of $451 million out of a $6.7 billion two-year budget, although the loss now could be less because of the judge’s order delaying the initiative.
Postponing some projects will allow the state to preserve essential services, Inslee said.
“I know that Washingtonians want funding preserved for a safe, reliable transportation system which includes provisions for people with disabilities, state troopers on the road, and bus and ferry services,” Inslee said.
Construction projects delayed
The list of postponed work includes many road construction projects, or phases of projects, scheduled to be advertised for contracts in the next few months.
It also includes state-funded projects without fully executed agreements, plus some rail grants and public transportation grants.
For the Tri-Cities area and nearby, the state’s postponement list includes:
▪ Highway 395 and Ridgeline Drive interchange in Kennewick
The state committed $15 million to the $21 million effort to route Ridgeline Drive under Highway 395 near Southridge. The project is intended to relieve congestion and bolster safety on the state highway.
A state schedule put the beginning of construction in spring 2020 an the completion in fall 2021.
The Kennewick City Council on Tuesday plans to consider sending letters to state legislators and the state transportation secretary, asking that the project be allowed to proceed without a delay.
Kennewick has already spent $2.2 million in city money on the project design and is weeks away from completing a $4.7 million purchase of right-if way, also using city money.
The project funding includes nearly $2 million from the National Highway Freight Program, which could be lost if funds are not authorized in the next 10 months, according to the city.
In addition, the city needs to advertise for construction bids early in 2020 to obtain a good bid price, according to the city staff.
▪ Improvement near Richland’s new Duportail Bridge
With construction well underway, the bridge over the Yakima River to connect central Richland and the Queensgate area is not on the postponed list.
But the Department of Transportation lists Phase 2 of the project as postponed.
That phase will widen and improve the intersection of Duportail Street and Highway 240, as well as improve the nearby at-grade crossing on the Port of Benton railroad.
The city schedule has called for beginning construction on Phase 2 in the spring to support the planned opening of the Duportail Bridge next fall.
The state funding affected is about $1.7 million, according to the postponement list.
▪ Improvements to Highway 240 in Richland
The state has been preparing to spend $1 million to $2 million to improve intersections on the highway.
The improvements are planned to relieve some congestion, particularly during the morning and afternoon commute by Hanford nuclear reservation workers. The work would be from the Highway 240 intersection with Interstate 182 north to the intersection at Highway 225.
A proposed schedule called for construction to begin in spring 2020 and finish in the fall.
The long-planned project will re-route Lewis over the railroad tracks and out of an aging, dangerous tunnel. The state committed $26 million to the project, according to the city, and the postponement list includes about half of that money.
The city planned to advertise for bids in early 2020.
▪ Highway 12 improvements
The Department of Transportation is widening Highway 12 from near Burbank to Walla Walla to four lanes, in a multiphase project, to improve safety and traffic flow.
The postponement plan covers an 11-mile stretch of the highway near Lowden and Touchet that is now two-lane, undivided roadway.
The construction schedule calls for work to begin in early 2020 and be done in summer 2023.
Work to relocate irrigation infrastructure for the project also is being postponed.
Highway 12 from near Pasco to Walla Walla has had more than 1,000 crashes since 1991, including 20 fatalities, according to the Department of Transportation.
Nearly half of the crashes that ended in death were caused by cars and trucks crossing the center line on the part of the highway that is still a two-lane road,
The highway is used by 7,000 to 13,000 vehicles daily, with abut 12 percent of them trucks. The high percentage of trucks slows the flow of traffic, according to the Department of Transportation.
Plans have been made to install noise walls near the Flamingo Village Mobile Home Park to reduce noise from Highway 395 for nearby homes and properties.
The postponement list puts the contract size at $2 million to $3 million.
The park is just north of the blue bridge.
One schedule for the project expected to begin advertising for a contract in January 2020.
▪ Connell rail interchange construction.
The state had planned nearly $10 million in spending on the $29 million project from this year through 2021.
The project is planned to relocate and expand the rail interchange outside of Connell to industrial lands south of the city.
It also will move the rail switch yard away from residential areas, from school-related traffic and emergency response routes.
The current railyard configuration causes congestion at city street crossings and cannot accommodate modern train service requirements, creating a pinch point in national and regional rail service.
▪ Ben Franklin Transit
Grant awards have been deferred for buying 120 new vans and adding three mini transit centers called multimodal hubs.
Ben Franklin Transit had planned multimodal hubs in West Pasco, downtown Pasco and the Duportail Street area of Richland.
They would be smaller than regular transit centers and planned to accommodate multiple types of transportation, with electric vehicle charging stations, park and rides for van pools and bike racks for people catching buses there.
The three hub grants would total about $6 million and the grant to replace or add 120 vans would be about $2.6 million.
Transportation budget
As the Department of Transportation developed its list of projects to postpone, it excluded specific projects related to safety and service to vulnerable populations.
The preserved projects include bike and pedestrian safety grants, safe routes to school grants and certain rural public transportation programs.
It also preserved funding for fish passage improvements, including larger culverts under state roads, needed to meet a federal court injunction deadline.
Some projects not on the postponement list also could be affected as the Legislature amends the 2019-’21 transportation budget to reflect passage of I-976, Millar said.
“We are all navigating a challenging situation,” he said. “It will be months before we have a definitive plan in the form of an amended 2019-’21 transportation budget by the Legislature and the governor.”
The Department of Licensing will continue to collect car tab fees as usual, given the court injunction, the governor said.
Money collected will be set aside for now so it will be available for refunds, in case the court orders that as the I-976 case advances.