Work is underway to expand and improve a stretch of Northeast 94th Avenue.
Construction kicked off in September on the $5.63 million project, which is being completed by Battle Ground contractor Tapani Inc. The project will improve a three-quarter-mile stretch along the two-lane road extending from Padden Parkway to Northeast 99th Street.
When the project is completed, the road will be improved to include:
• A center turn lane, which project manager Scott Fakler with Clark County Public Works said will prevent backups along the road. “I think the center turn lane is going to help residents a lot,” he said.
• Bicycle lanes and a sidewalk on the west side and a shared pedestrian-cyclist path on the east side, improving safety and accessibility for pedestrians.
• A right-turn lane on Padden Parkway for vehicles turning north onto 94th Avenue.
• Acceleration lanes on Padden Parkway, giving drivers more leeway to speed up before merging into traffic.
The construction is “part one of some new improvements happening out there,” Fakler said. There are also eventual future plans to connect 94th Avenue to Highway 503, which run about a mile from each other.
The intersection is in the heart of the Sunnyside Neighborhood, where Judy Bumbarger-Enright is the neighborhood association president. She lives of 94th Avenue, and the road is the backbone of that busy section of her neighborhood. The area has “grown up” a great deal in recent years, increasing the need for a better road.
Bumbarger-Enright praised the project, saying the lack of a center turn lane has created a safety hazard and caused accidents in the past.
“Some people make an extra lane that’s not really there,” she said.
Construction is, however, posing some challenges. Getting in and out during rush hour traffic can be a headache, she said, but ultimately the improvements will be worth it.
“It’ll be hard for us go get out for a while, which is not a big deal,” Bumbarger-Enright said. “I think it will be safer. I like the project myself.”
Construction will continue through the winter, weather allowing, and is slated to be completed by next fall. One lane will remain open through construction, but drivers should expect delays.
