Eight Palouse towns granted TIB funds

Washington State’s Transportation Improvement Board (TIB) has granted eight Whitman County towns a total of $2.4 million for street improvement projects in 2011.

The board met Nov. 18 and 19 to decide how to allot its funding for next year.

“It really helps out these small communities that can’t pay for these themselves,” said Whitman County Commissioner Greg Partch, who also serves as chair of the 21-member Transportation Improvement Board.

“It’s one of the few progams that gets it right to the local level.”

Every town in Whitman County has received funds for projects from the Transportation Improvement Board over the years. Malden was added to the list this year with a pair of grants that topped $750,000.

No grants were made by the TIB last year when it focused its efforts on paying off bonds issued earlier this decade.

But the grant came back this year with a $99 million splash into the state’s construction sector.

The state board approved $1,780,150 worth of large road construction projects in Colfax, Malden and Tekoa.

Malden was granted $643,000 for a complete reconstruction of Broadway, between Main and Dove streets.

In Colfax, the board granted $675,000 to complete the south half of the Mill Street reconstruction. New pavement and sidewalks will be built between Island Street, where the north half of the project was compelted two years ago, south to the Canyon Street intersection.

The rebuild will install a crown in the center of the road which will allow stormwater to drain off the surface. New swales on either side of the roadway will also be built to collect runoff. The project also includes construction of an asphalt pathway on one side of the street.

Tekoa will rebuild Henkle Street between Crosby (Highway 27) and Lindsey Streets with a $462,150 TIB grant. New pavement will replace the currently cracked and graveled roadway and provide parking on both sides of the street. The project will also create sidewalks with wheelchair ramps.

Tekoa also received another $77,425 grant to install a sidewalk. The new sidewalk will run north from the top of the downtown hill and follow along Highway 27 east.

Oakesdale was granted $116,300 to replace its cracked sidewalk along First Street, also known as Highway 27.

In addition, Garfield, Malden, Palouse, Rosalia and St. John received a combined total of $422,632 from the board to pay for pavement preservation projects, seal coating or asphalt overlays.