Almota road construction slated to wrap up next week

Paving for the second Almota Road rebuild segment is expected to start next week. Crews will surface more than three miles of unpaved road June 28, 29, and 30 in a move to finish the road project before the start of harvest.

The paving will finish the second phase which extends from the Duncan Springs Road intersection south to the Wilcox Road intersection just north of Union Flat Creek.

This phase of the project is one of four slated for Almota Road, with the next two planned in the next five to 10 years.

Aim of the project was to widen the highway, reduce grades and strengthen the base foundation for the road which is a main arterial to the Port of Almota, Boyer and Lower Granite Dam.

“It won’t be as treacherous in the ice and snow,” said county public works director Mark Storey.

The construction project began last year, but paving could not be applied before the onset of winter weather. Construction crews placed almost two feet of crushed rock to fortify the foundation for heavy grain trucks and winter use.

“It can handle the heavy trucks,” Storey said.

This phase of the project has a price tag of $2.3 million.

Seubert Excavators, Inc., Cottonwood, will do the paving of the road, as a subcontractor with DeAtley Construction of Clarkston. Poe Asphalt of Pullman will supply the asphalt mix.

First phase of the Almota Road project, from Airport Road south to Duncan Springs Road, was completed in 2007.

Before the construction of these two phases, the sides of the road dropped off sharply and the grades were steeper. Curve alignment was also improved.

Storey said the changes will improve driver safety with larger harvest trucks now on the arterial. Reducing the steeper slopes can make accidents less severe, Storey said.

“If a car does go off, the intent is it won’t roll,” he said. “We’re trying to reduce the potential for that kind of accident.”

Storey added they now have funding approval for the fourth phase of the construction, which starts at the junction of Almota Road and State Highway 194 at the top of the Almota grade east of the Onecho Church.

Completion of that project could wrap up near 2014 or 2015. They do not yet have funding for the third phase.

Storey said next week’s asphalt surfacing will include the first 20 feet of the Duncan Springs and Conrad roads along Almota.