Eye on grid traffic conflict: Airport Road rebuild work may begin next week

Construction on the Colfax Airport Road is likely to begin in the next week and a half, but impacts to WSU football traffic may be minimal.

Whitman County officials held a pre-construction meeting with DeAtley Construction Tuesday morning to hear the contractor’s plans for rebuilding the 3.09-mile road.

Public Works Director Mark Storey reported afterward that the Clarkston-based firm expects to begin work as soon as the end of next week.

He said DeAtley plans to close the road for about three weeks during construction, likely at the end of October. That closure will likely be the biggest impact for Cougar football gameday traffic. The Airport Road serves as a Colfax bypass of Colfax for fans who attend WSU games from the west side of the state via Highway 26.

The only game day that could be affected by the closure, said Storey, will be the Cougars’ Nov. 10 Dad’s Weekend home game against UCLA. With the bypass closed, traffic from the west would have to roll through Colfax.

“It’s not going to be the end of the world. It just means it’s going to be a little bit harder for a bit,” said Storey.

DeAtley was awarded the contract for construction after quoting a price of $2,599,431.25, almost $900,000 less than the engineer’s estimate of $3,496,899. Four other firms bid on the job.

The rebuild project will widen the road, create shoulders, eliminate some of the tight curves and better angle the banks of the curves.

Work this fall and winter will consist of removing the current surface and laying the subgrade. The road will be gravel over the winter to give the base more time to settle before it is paved next spring. A similar schedule was used to rebuild the Almota Road, and Storey said it made for a smoother surface.

A grant from the state County Road Administrative Board will fund 80 percent of the construction costs. County and federal funds will pay the remaining cost of the project after the state funds are exhausted.