Study News

Fall 2018

• The 2015 Connecting Washington revenue package provides $58.5 Million to fund stages 3 and 4 which will widen Sunset Highway from 9th Street to Hadley Street to five lanes including a median turn lane in places and U-turns at the intersections, plus other improvements.
• Stage 1 of this project constructed an extension of Eastmont Avenue to the SR 28/ US 2/97 intersection at the east end of the Odabashian Bridge.
  The 2005 Transportation Partnership Funding package provided the $53.5 million of gas tax money for construction.
• The Final Environmental Impact Statement for the entire corridor (Final EIS) is still available for review. Read the Final EIS Summary.

The Final Environmental Impact Statement can be reviewed at the:

East Wenatchee Public Library
271 9th Street NE
East Wenatchee
&
Wenatchee Public Library
310 Douglas Street
Wenatchee

The Final EIS responds to over 190 public comments that were received during the Draft EIS public review period.  Upon careful consideration of both public comments and the environmental analysis, Alternative 3B was selected as the Preferred Alternative.  It consists of constructioin of an extension of Eastmont Avenue from the intersection of US 2/97 and Sunset Highway to Badger Mountain Road.  Sunset Highway will be widened to five lanes including a median and u-turn intersections.

The Final EIS marked the implementation of a corridor plan to improve safety, access, freight mobility and planning for the future growth in the SR 28 corridor.

Douglas County was responsible for the design and construction management of the Eastmont Extension.

Why is WSDOT addressing congestion in the SR-28 corridor?

The purpose of the Eastside Corridor project is to identify a transportation alternative that will enhance the safety and increase the mobility—including the movement of people, goods, and services—on the Sunset Highway Corridor (SR-28) in the East Wenatchee urban area from 9th Street to the Odabashian Bridge. The purpose of the project is to produce an environmentally acceptable transportation solution that balances the needs of the community and improves safety and mobility for north/south travel in the East Wenatchee area.

Nearly 15,000 vehicles traverse the corridor daily—that’s almost one vehicle every ten seconds, 24 hours a day. Congestion and safety hazards along Sunset Highway are continually increasing, which presents a serious challenge to the quality of life and economic vitality of our community and region. The goal of the project is to select an alternative that will meet the transportation needs of the community, making it safer for pedestrians and commuters alike while protecting the natural resources that make our community an attractive place to live. 

The End Result
The end result of the environmental impact statement process is an alternative that meets all Federal and State environmental laws and the preferred alternative also meets the transportation needs of the region.

Project Benefits

The goal is to achieve: 

• Reduced traffic congestion.
• Improved safety.
• Enhanced environmental quality.
• Improved livability for neighborhoods within the corridor.

and also to:

• Foster the local and state economy.
• Accommodate planned regional growth.

What is the project timeline?
Stages three and four are now funded 

• Design 2020 through 2024
• Right of Way 2020 through 2024
• Construction 2024 through 2027

Financial Information

• The 2015 Connecting Washington revenue package provides $58.5 Million to fund stages 3 and 4.
• The 2005 Transportation Partnership Funding package provided $56.3 million from the gas tax for construction of stage 1, completed in 2013.