One of the busiest intersections in Bonney Lake, state Route 410 and Veterans Memorial Drive, will be tied up with construction work through the month of October.
According to City Engineer John Woodcock crews plan to limit lane closures, which will limit extra traffic congestion.
“If a lane has to be taken out, that’s a nighttime closure,” Woodcock said. “The (traffic) impact will be when we are shifting lanes.”
Traffic in both west and eastbound lanes were shifted Sept. 25 to accommodate for construction.
The improvement project will be tackled in two phases. Phase one, which began Sept. 24, includes working on the shoulder of the eastbound lane and installing a new retaining wall.
There will also be work on Elhi Rim Road, just north of the SR 410 and Veterans Memorial Drive intersection, in order to accommodate the widening of the highway.
Drivers will also notice restrictions on Myers Road, which is north of the intersection. Left-hand turns from Myers onto SR 410 for the duration of construction will be restricted.
Phase one of the improvements are scheduled to be finished by the end of October.
Construction crews plan to work as much as they can through the winter on phase two of the project, which is scheduled to be finished by the end of April 2016.
Phase two includes adding double left turn lanes from eastbound SR 410 onto Veterans Memorial Drive, a single right turn lane from westbound SR 410 onto Veterans Memorial Drive, and new double right turn lanes from Veterans Memorial Drive onto westbound SR 410.
Because laying asphalt is the only work that is affected by cold temperatures and rain, Woodcock said, that part of the project will be tackled in the springtime.
A new traffic signal will also be installed at the intersection to accommodate for the new lanes, and will communicate with the signal on SR 410 and Main Street.
A landscaped medium will be installed on SR 410 between Veterans Memorial Drive and Main Street, and three new retaining walls will be build on the south side of the highway to make room for the sidewalk and additional left turn lane.
The SR 410/Veterans Memorial Dr Intersection project has been under development since 2005. The project is partly funded through a federal grant of nearly $640,000, and the Tehaleh development is contributing a little more than $4 million.
