Pedestrian underpass in works

RITZVILLE – At the Jan. 17 City Council meeting, Councilman Scott Yaeger announced that the state Department of Transportation is planning a pedestrian walkway underneath Interstate 90 and alongside state Highway 261.

The project will use funding from recently-passed "Complete Streets" legislation, he said..

In 2022, the Legislature passed Senate Bill 5974, the so-called "Move Ahead Washington" package changing Revised Code of Washington 47.24.060 to WSDOT to "incorporate the principles of complete streets with facilities that provide street access with all users in mind, including pedestrians, bicyclists and public transportation users."

The new regulation applies to "state transportation projects starting design on or after July 1, 2022 and that are $500,000 or more."

The city already envisioned a pedestrian walkway under I-90 as part of the annexation and development of Grainland Acres - a multi-use project including 84 acres zoned "general commercial" and 203 acres designated "high-density residential."

"After a recent meeting with WSDOT, I was hoping they would provide money for planning [the pedestrian walkway]," Yaeger said. "All the information we need is from them.

"But they informed us that they already have 'Complete Streets' funding to design that pathway as part of a bridge deck replacement/repair project."

"It just made sense for [Transportation] to do the project because they already have the necessary data. Besides, they own the highway," City Clerk Julie Flyckt said, adding it will extend to the relocated Les Schwab Tire Center, which is scheduled to open next year.