Date:
Monday, July 23, 2007
Contact:
Jeff Adamson, North Central Region Communications Manager, Wenatchee, (509) 667-2815, (509) 669-8778 Cell. E-mail: adamsoj@wsdot.wa.gov
WENATCHEE– Another “Nickel” traffic safety project in North Central Washington is nearing completion and was celebrated with a formal ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday evening, July 20th. The new traffic signal system on US 2/97 at the Johnson Road/Dryden Avenue intersection will be turned on by the end of the month. The Dryden community invited 12th District State Senator Linda Evans Parlette and Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) North Central Region Administrator Don Senn to cut the ribbon a few days early as part of the town’s 100th anniversary celebration weekend.
As traffic counts continued to rise at this busy intersection in Chelan County, both collisions and accessibility became growing concerns for the Dryden community. "We need a light on Highway 2 in Dryden" was a plea heard by the WSDOT Region Office in Wenatchee many times over the past decade. At the legislature's direction in 1999, WSDOT conducted a formal US 2/97 Corridor study that was completed in June of 2002, to develop a short and a long-range plan to improve safety on the 14-mile section of US 2/97 between the US 2 and US 97 intersection (the Big Y) and Easy Street at the north end of Wenatchee. The data documented the need. The Average daily traffic count there rose by a thousand to 15,000 per day between 2002 and 2005 and continues upward.
“This section of the highway had multiple High Accident Locations (HALs) and High Accident Corridors (HACs) and something had to be done,” said Senator Parlette.
The Dryden Signal ranked first among the long-term projects recommended to reduce traffic conflicts and accidents in the 20 year plan. The project at milepost 106.49 installed a traffic signal at the intersection of Johnson Road and Dryden Avenue including right turn lanes, bus pullouts and advance warning beacons.
In 2003 the legislature used the Nickel Gas tax to fund priority safety improvement projects around the state including $413,000 for this project. The project was combined with this summer's Cashmere to Leavenworth paving project, advancing its construction by a year and reducing the overall project's cost. The combined project was advertised for private contractor bids on October 16th, 2006 and a contract was awarded to Central Washington Asphalt of Moses Lake on November 17th for $3.3 million - 15% under the engineering estimate.
The signal and new turn pockets reduce the potential for collisions. Advanced warning beacons will also improve safety, alerting drivers when the signal is changing. Access is improved for vehicles entering both the highway and local road system and the signal reduces waiting time for large trucks bound for fruit processing facilities in Dryden.
Six local women were recognized by the Dryden Improvement Club for their work to make the signal a reality: Alvina Goehner, Nona Guthrie, Dorla Tritle, Marion Theis, Donna Eckhard and Cheryl Christianson. Chelan County Commissioner Keith Goehner and former 12th District State Representative Earl Tilly were also recognized for their contributions.
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