WSDOT awards stimulus funds for paving project between Moses Lake and Ephrata

For Immediate Release: May 4, 2009

OLYMPIA � Two highways between Moses Lake and Ephrata will be smoother and safer for drivers by this fall.

Gov. Chris Gregoire and the Washington State Department of Transportation today awarded a $6.2 million paving contract to Granite Northwest Inc., with funds received under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Construction, which could begin in a few weeks, is expected to support at least 75 jobs.

�This is another example of Washington state putting federal dollars to work quickly and responsibly to improve our roads while getting people back to work,� Gregoire said. �By moving forward efficiently and with accountability, we are positioning our state to receive additional federal funding to support and create even more jobs.�

The paving projects resurface eight miles of state Route 17 from the Grant County Airport in Moses Lake to the junction with SR 282, and from there, five miles of SR 282 to the junction with SR 28 in Ephrata. Together, the project will pave all 13 miles of highway between Moses Lake and downtown Ephrata. Construction crews will also build more than four miles of passing lanes as part of this project.

�We are ready to get these ARRA projects under way because we know every dollar contributes to our state�s economic recovery,� Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond said. �In addition to good-paying jobs, these investments help us to perform much-needed work that will extend the life of our state highways.�

As part of the repaving project, crews will build two 12-foot-wide passing lanes on SR 17 between the Grant County Airport and Rocky Ford Creek. The two-mile-long northbound passing lane will start at South Neppel Road and end at Northlake Road. A two-mile-long southbound passing lane will also be built between North Neppel Road and Northlake Road, and another half-mile-long passing lane will start at South Neppel Road and end at McConihe Road.

To date, Washington has received $492 million in ARRA funds for state highway investments, including $341 million to pay for 34 state highway projects.

Three more ARRA-funded projects, worth a total of $4.1 million, are now being advertised for bids. Those projects are for chip-seal paving on SR 155 in Omak, SR 262 at the Potholes Reservoir and SR 243 through Beverly. Those projects together will support another 41 jobs. The contracts will be awarded in early May.