5 months of work set for busy Tri-Cities street + a road closure announced. What to know
Two street projects in Pasco, Wash., will start next week and are sure to snarl traffic for commuters.
A five-month flurry of traffic safety improvements along Sylvester Street will bring new bike lanes, pedestrian crossings and sidewalks to the area. No major roadway closures are anticipated at this time.
And a small section of Road 44, between Argent Road and West Argent Place, will be fully closed all week long for “vital road construction work.”
Both projects begin Monday, April 8.
The Sylvester Street improvement plan is a nearly $5 million project designed to improve safety for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers along one of the city’s busiest east-west corridors.
It will convert 3.5 miles of undivided four-lane roadway into a two-lane road with a center turn lane and bicycle lanes between 3rd Avenue and Road 54.
Sylvester will also be improved west of U.S. 395 with the addition of sidewalks, three new flashing pedestrian crossings and a shared-use pathway.
Car lanes will be narrowed and speed will be reduced, too.
“The Sylvester Street safety improvements project represents a significant investment in the safety and accessibility of our transportation network,” said Pasco construction manager Kent McCue in a statement.
Most of the work is expected to be finished by September. The Sylvester project is being funded mostly with state and federal grants.
One block of Road 44 will be closed to construction from Monday, April 8, to Friday, April 12. Commuters who use the roadway north of I-182 should use Road 40 as an alternative and expect detours.
“This project aims to facilitate utility installation and ensure the roadway’s restoration,” city staff said in a statement. “To minimize inconvenience, we encourage motorists to explore alternative routes wherever possible.”
