EHS roundabout on Warner and Semanski to be built summer of 2021

The city council recently approved its latest six-year Transportation Improvement Program plan.

By Kevin Hanson • July 2, 2020 11:50 am
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This 2018 preliminary design of the Semanski Street and Warner Avenue roundabout, which when built will control traffic right in front of the Enumclaw High School, has since been updated, but gives an accurate idea of what the project will look like once it’s finished. Image courtesy the city of Enumclaw
This 2018 preliminary design of the Semanski Street and Warner Avenue roundabout, which when built will control traffic right in front of the Enumclaw High School, has since been updated, but gives an accurate idea of what the project will look like once it’s finished. Image courtesy the city of Enumclaw

An ambitious roundabout project at the corner of the Enumclaw High School campus highlights the city’s latest look at upcoming transportation improvement projects.

Every year, Enumclaw joins cities and towns throughout the state and creates a list of priorities looking six years into the future. Commonly referred to as the Transportation Improvement Program, there are two crucial elements: first, the plan does not commit the city to anything in particular and can be changed annually; and, second, having an adopted TIP is essential if the city is to compete for federal and state transportation funds.

Members of the Enumclaw City Council adopted a plan spanning 2021 through 2026 during their June 22 meeting. The municipal priorities were spelled out during a presentation by Public Works Director Jeff Lincoln.

Heading the list, Lincoln explained, is a roundabout to be constructed at the intersection of Semanski Street and Warner Avenue. That corner gets very congested, particularly during the morning and afternoon hours when students, parents and teachers arrive and depart from the EHS campus in a mix of pedestrians, private automobiles and school buses.

Presently, traffic is controlled by stop signs on Warner Avenue.

Lincoln said the project design is 95 percent complete and construction is expected to begin as soon as school lets out in June 2021. The price tag is estimated at $600,000 and will be fully funded by the city.

Two other Warner Avenue projects are on the 2021 calendar, both under the heading of “pavement rehabilitation.” Slated for improvements are sections from Watson Street to 276th Avenue Southeast ($80,000)and from state Route 410 to Berninger Street ($700,000, with $560,000 coming from the state).

The rest of the 2021 TIP docket includes improvements to Washington Avenue between Cole and Railroad streets; an upgrade to the intersection of Roosevelt Avenue and 244th Avenue Southeast; and two pavement projects on Roosevelt (one between Semanski and Cole streets, the other between Farrelly Street and 244th).

Among other items on the adopted six-year Transportation Improvement Program – with cost and year of anticipated completion – are:

• Roosevelt Avenue rehabilitation, Farrelly Street to 244th, $800,000 ($640,000 from state), 2022.

• 244th Avenue Southeast/Roosevelt Avenue intersection improvements, $850,000 ($680,000 from state), 2022.

• Washington Avenue improvements, Cole to Railroad Street, $110,000, 2022.

• Watson Street pedestrian improvements, SR 410 to Warner Avenue, $200,000, 2022.

• SR 410/SR 164 signal modifications, $60,000 ($48,000 from state), 2022.

• Surface repairs, Fell/Sorenson intersection, $250,000, 2023.

• Porter Street pedestrian improvements, McHugh Avenue to Thunder Mountain Middle School, 100,000 ($80,000 from state), 2024.

• SR 410/SR 164 signal modifications, $240,000 ($192,000 from state), 2024.

• Porter Street pedestrian improvements, McHugh Avenue to Thunder Mountain Middle School, 700,000 ($560,000 from state), 2025.

• Jewell Street resurfacing at Watson Street, $300,000, 2026.

• ADA ramp retrofit program, various sites, $75,000 annually.

• Sidewalk program, various sites, $150,000, annually.

• Pavement maintenance program, various sites, $400,000, annually.

• Surface repairs, various sites, $375,000, annually.

A handful of projects have been deleted from last year’s list, as they have been completed or are under way. Those include work on a pair of paved pedestrian trails; paving on Warner Avenue; a new surface on Railroad Avenue; and a major project on Cole Street between Stevenson and Roosevelt.

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