Road Work Ahead: Washougal set to begin $1.45M improvements

The city of Washougal has reached an agreement with a Yacolt-based construction company to complete a series of major road improvement projects. The Washougal City Council on Aug. 12, approved a $1.45 million contract with the Western United Civil Group to provide pavement rehabilitation and pedestrian improvements along Main Street, pavement maintenance throughout the city, and speed cushions at two locations. Work is scheduled to begin in late September and finish by the end of October, according to Washougal City Manager David Scott. “The only more significant impact of note will be to (the intersection of) Main Street and Pendleton Way, as that is a concrete intersection getting placed, so likely that (area) will be impacted for a few weeks,” Scott said. “As far as the rest of the paving, we included a bid alternative where the contractor will pave Main Street at night within the downtown core to limit impacts to the businesses. Other various streets will be impacted, but should have local access only to not impact residents living on the streets.” The Main Street overlay project includes the addition of 14 curb ramps and striping that is compliant with the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), as well as drainage improvements from Washougal River Road to 27th Street. Washougal City Engineer Scott Collins said during the Washougal City Council’s Aug. 12 workshop that, due to potential impacts to businesses in the City’s downtown area, city staff have requested the paving work be constructed at night. The pavement management project will construct, rehabilitate and maintain streets to optimize roadway conditions throughout the City’s network as measured by the Pavement Condition Index, according to Collins. “It’s a variety of streets. I think we have nine locations throughout the city, all of which have been identified in our 2024 plan,” Collins told city officials during the Aug. 12 workshop. “The project will also redo the intersection at Main Street and Pendleton Way. Right now, it (consists of) pavers. Our maintenance staff has a huge issue each year trying to get the pavers. A lot of them become depressed, so they have to go back out and reset.” The project will, instead, align the intersection with concrete, Collins said, making it similar to other intersections in downtown Washougal. “Also, we have our town center project that’s putting a concrete intersection along Pendleton Way at ‘C’ Street so it aligns with the intersection,” he said. The traffic-calming project will insert speed cushions at “W” Street from 39th to 44th streets, and Shepherd Road from North Eighth to North Fourth courts. The City is looking at traffic-calming “to support the viability and vitality of residential and commercial areas through improvements in non-motorist safety, mobility and comfort,” according to a City report. “These objectives are typically achieved by reducing vehicle speeds or volumes on a single street or a street network,” according to the report. “Traffic-calming measures consist of horizontal or vertical lane narrowing, roadside amenities, and other features that use self-enforcing physical or psycho-perception means to produce desired effects.” Collins said the City “gets a variety of calls and complaints about speeding,” but does not respond to every request with traffic-calming measures. In order to receive a traffic-calming measure, Collins said, a section of road has to have 85% of the cars traveling at 10 miles an hour above the posted speed limit. “I think we’ve probably received 25 to 30 requests so far (this year),” Collins said. “Out of all the streets we surveyed, I’d say probably four to six probably hit that threshold right now. I think that’s a good evaluation.” The City has $739,325 ($628,246 from the state’s Transportation Improvement Board) to dedicate to the Main Street overlay project, which is budgeted to cost $931,441; $1.1 million for the pavement management project, which is budgeted to cost $1,118.246; and $60,000 for the traffic-calming project, which is budgeted to cost $65,000. “The additional funds that are necessary over what was originally budgeted for the program this year is available in the pavement management program budget,” Scott told the Council earlier this month. “It comes from multiple sources — real estate excise tax, general fund transfers and the license tab fees. It’s available.” Collins added that the Transportation Improvement Board has agreed to contribute an additional $94,264 to the Main Street overlay project. “I also do want to note that (the project budget) carries the $83,000 of contingencies,” he said. “That’s for change orders and things that come up with the project. We may use it. We may not use it.”

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