WENATCHEEE – A project to improve mobility and safety at the US 2/97 intersection with Easy Street in Wenatchee will begin next month.
The Washington State Department of Transportation awarded the contract to build a multi lane roundabout in north Wenatchee to Johansen Construction. Work is scheduled to begin April 3. The roundabout will improve traffic flow and reduce the severity of collisions at the existing signalized intersection. Other improvements including transit pull outs and extension of the Apple Capital Loop Trail are also planned.
Road closures and detours
During construction, access from Easy Street to US 2/97 will be detoured onto Ohme Garden Road. The northbound SR 285 ramp will also be closed. East-west traffic through the intersection on US 2/97 will be maintained.
A temporary roundabout will also be installed at the eastbound access to Odabashian Bridge and a temporary four-way stop will be installed at the intersection of Easy and School streets in Sunnyslope. These two temporary traffic revisions will help maintain traffic flow during the Easy Street intersection detour. The temporary intersection changes and the Ohme Garden Road detour will remain in place around the clock until the new roundabout opens in early July.
Safer construction zone
The detour creates a safer construction zone for the workers. It allows them to work next to east-west traffic moving through the intersection instead of using flaggers to stop traffic.
More information about the project and a turn-by-turn description of the detour is available in the project blog.
This project is scheduled to be complete in late July. Updates for the work will be shared on the project webpage, the WSDOT real time travel map, and on Twitter at @WSDOT_East.