Date:
Friday, March 23, 2007
Contact:
Meagan McFadden, WSDOT Communications, (509) 577-1618 (Yakima)
Paul Gonseth, WSDOT Project Engineer, (509) 577-1810 (Yakima)
Mike Westbay, WSDOT Communications, (509) 577-1617 (Yakima)
One of the most congested intersections in Yakima is one step closer to becoming less congested. WSDOT and the City of Yakima broke ground on March 21, 2007 to celebrate the start of the US 12 – 40th Avenue Interchange Improvements project at the Lakeside Business Center in Yakima. Former Senator Alex Deccio, Mayor Dave Edler, TRANS-action Chairman Trent Marquis, Yakima Greenway Director Al Brown and WSDOT Regional Administrator Don Whitehouse were the featured Speakers.
Every day more than 24,000 motorists travel through the intersection. Rush hour motorists can experience delays, congestion and substantial backups. However, motorists will finally be able to breathe a sigh of relief. This project will cut delays at the intersection by almost half, saving motorists as much as three and a half hours a year. Less time idling at red lights equals more savings at the pump, 58,000 gallons to be exact.
“The amazing thing about this project is that when we put this project on our priority list, it was just an idea,” said Don Whitehouse, WSDOT Regional Administrator. “No engineering had been done yet. We took this project from environmental review, to design, to property acquisition, to plans approval and advertisement to bidders in one year.”
But this project would have never been possible without the help from the City of Yakima and help from local legislators.
“Part of what the City is recognizing is the tremendous growth in this area and the shortages of our main arterials,” said Dave Edler, Mayor of the City of Yakima. “This is something we’ve been looking forward to for a long time”.
“I met with Doug MacDonald and other DOT folks and asked what their priorities were,” said Alex Deccio, former Senator, 14th District. “Don Whitehouse and the Mayor were all ready to go and they got back to me the next day with a list of priorities for transportation that had full support from the community.”
Once the $2.1 million dollar project is complete in June, motorists will be able to enjoy a second lane on the US 12 eastbound on-ramp, a second through lane from North 40th Avenue and better traffic flow due to a more efficient traffic signal light. A new left turn lane for the westbound off-ramp will allow traffic to proceed more quickly through the intersection. The project will also re-connect the Yakima Greenway to local bike and pedestrian pathways.
This is the first project in Yakima to be funded by the 2005 Transportation Partnership Funding Package, which comes from the 9.5 cent increase in the gas tax.
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