Enumclaw drivers will be making some detours throughout the spring and summer, as a heavily-traveled Griffin Avenue is chewed up and smoothed out.
The state Department of Transportation is committed to spending somewhere in excess of $2 million – but less than $2.5 million – to upgrade the section of Griffin that also serves as the easternmost leg of state Route 164.
DOT spokeswoman Broch Bender said the project stretches a little more than a mile, from High Point Street to the junction of Griffin and state Route 410. Work is expected to begin in early April, she said, and continue into September.
There will be daytime lane closures, she said, with identified detours to guide motorists around the ongoing work.
The project entails grinding away the existing asphalt and putting down a new surface. Before that work gets under way, Bender said, the DOT will replace 90 existing curb cuts at 26 intersections. The existing curb cuts – which allow wheelchairs to access city sidewalks – no longer meet specifications, she said, as the slope is too steep.
As part of the overall project, the DOT also will be installing a traffic light at the intersection of Watson Street and 410.
The DOT commissioned a traffic study, which showed enough vehicle trips to justify a light, Bender said, pointing out the growth in both businesses and homes south of the highway. The intersection has Safeway on one side and McDonald’s on the other.
A schedule for installation of the traffic light has not been established.
