Cross sections of the preliminary design for Washington’s Department of Transportation State Route 141 Complete Streets Project, which stretches along Jewett Boulevard from downtown Bingen just past downtown White Salmon.
Cross sections of the preliminary design for Washington’s Department of Transportation State Route 141 Complete Streets Project, which stretches along Jewett Boulevard from downtown Bingen just past downtown White Salmon.
WHITE SALMON — Dozens of community members attended an open house hosted by Washington’s Department of Transportation (WSDOT) on April 22, where the agency revealed its preliminary design for a more pedestrian-friendly Jewett Boulevard that will accommodate diverse forms of transportation, but potentially not for several more years.
The project, called State Route 141 Complete Streets, begins where Oak Street meets W Steuben Street in Bingen and stretches all the way up the bluff, just past NW Garfield Avenue in White Salmon. Based on the current design, sidewalks on both sides of Jewett and crosswalks accessible for those with disabilities will traverse the project’s entire length. Downtown White Salmon will feature horizontal parking on both sides of the street and buffered bike lanes running in each direction, as will a small section nearest downtown Bingen. There won’t be any parking in between those areas, but the buffered bike lanes will give way to raised lanes, improving pedestrian protection.
The existing street in downtown Bingen and White Salmon is wide enough to accommodate those additional facilities, but WSDOT will have to expand Jewett and install retainer walls in specific locations between those points.
Nearing the completion of its preliminary design phase, WSDOT originally planned to start construction in 2026, but the agency pushed that timeline back to somewhere between 2029-2033 due to a projected budget shortfall. On April 27, however, state legislators approved $15.5 billion for transportation funding over the next biennium, a $2.3 billion increase compared to the prior two years.
“It’s too soon to know how the budget details for the upcoming biennium are going to affect the current funding levels for Complete Streets projects,” said Tiffany Mancillas, communications consultant for WSDOT’s southwest region. The agency is waiting for Gov. Bob Ferguson to officially sign to officially sign the legislation, which must occur by mid-May. Only then will WSDOT know how quickly it can proceed with the project.
At the open house, residents spoke with WSDOT employees and other engineers, suggesting changes to the project like incorporating transit stops and scaling back aspects of the project to make funding more achievable. WSDOT actively seeking more public feedback and is hosting a virtual open house through May 13. You can access the open house and offer comments by visiting bit.ly/SR141BingenWhiteSalmon.
Commented
Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles.