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Project Title & Location
US 12/McDonald Road to Walla Walla - Add Lanes
Walla Walla County
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Project Description
This project is phase six of eight phases that improve US 12 from SR 124 (Burbank) to Walla Walla. This approximately eight mile project will reconstruct US 12 from McDonald Road to Walla Walla as a four lane divided highway, with improved capacity and enhanced safety.
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Contractor/Consultant
David Evans and Associates was hired to prepare the Resource Reports. Landau and Associates was hired to study the springs near Pine Street. Golder Associates was hired to use electonic methods for locating the Frenchtown Cemetary.
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Recent Progress
The 2005 Transportation Partnership Funding Package allocated $36 million to the construction of this project.
At the request of the US Highway 12 Coalition an interchange is being designed for the Myra Road and US 12 junction. Roundabouts are proposed for the ramp intersections with Myra Road. The interchange and roundabouts will help traffic to flow smoothly in this vicinity. Funding for the interchange will come from Federal Earmark funds.
An intersection and connecting road has been added in the vicinity of Last Chance Road. The new road and intersection will be built approximately 1/4 mile west of the Last Chance Road intersection with existing US 12. The intersection was added because of a landlocked parcel and other socio-economic impacts discovered during the environmental documentation process.
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Design Construction Impacts
The addition of the interchange at Myra Road and the addition of Last Chance Road created delays in the delivery of the environmental documentation and subsequent project Advertisement date. In June, we reconvened the Managing Project Delivery Team and created a Project Management Plan to restore this project to a Fall 2006 Advertisement Date. Principaly, the plan calls for the use of state funds for right of way acquisition, and identifies risk and risk mitigation for other possible eventualities on this project.
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Environmental Impacts / Compliance
Landau Associates was hired to investigate the springs located near Pine Street. A full report will be available in the fall of 2006.
Responding to concerns about the location of the Frenchtown Cemetary. WSDOT hired Golder Associates to use ground penetrating radar and electromagnetic methods in an attempt to find the grave sites. The research did not locate any graves and failed to confirm the location of the Frenchtown Cemetary. The proposed US 12 right of way line has been located 150' north of the cemetary monument to avoid the closest suspected location of the Cemetary. On-site monitoring during earthwork construction will be conducted and a plan for inadvertant discovery will be negotiated with the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Nation and will be included in the contract.
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Impacts to Traffic
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