Transportation Improvement Board projects continue

Whitman County has 10 active projects under the Transportation Improvement Board (TIB) that are currently being worked on or in the approval process to get started.

All projects in the county are under a “green” status, meaning these projects do not have issues that may cause delays or put the project at risk. If the project status turns yellow or red, this indicates a delay or potential risk of the project.

Towns with projects are Albion, Colton, Endicott, LaCrosse, Malden, Oakesdale, Palouse, Rosalia, St. John and Tekoa.

TIB Engineering Manager Chris Workman said for these smaller towns, regional engineers will perform pavement ratings on each street ever four years, this allows for TIB and the town to review a map of conditions to assist in pavement management.

Of the 10 projects, Albion, Colton, LaCrosse and Rosalia are all scheduled for the 2021 funding year. Albion and Colton both received construction approval in December 2019, LaCrosse is planned to have construction approval by May 1 and the Rosalia project is currently in the design phase.

Even though many construction projects across the state have been delayed or postponed during the “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order, TIB will not be canceling or delaying any current projects.

In an announcement given April 10, TIB explained how the organization is considered a “pass-through” agency and is not part of the Governor's state transportation or capital budget shutdowns.

“Since TIB is funded mostly through the gas tax and people are driving less, this will result in a significant loss of revenue for the duration of the Stay Home order,” said the TIB announcement. “The combined effects of this will not be fully known for a few months, at least, but will at a minimum result in a lower call for projects and may result in delaying projects.”

Many of the projects within the county are either resurfacing or reconstruction projects to assist with community infrastructure.

“The majority of the active projects currently in Whitman County are considered preservation or rehabilitation with the intention to improve the quality of the roadway and extend the life of the road,” Workman said.

In Malden, a .14 mile resurfacing project will take place on Main St. and Pine City-Malden Rd. These road segments will receive a full-depth reclamation and two-inch overlay to the approved sections.

A project in Endicott includes resurfacing .80 miles of roadway. The project consists of three areas, removal and replacement of Margin, H and portions of 3rd St., stormwater mitigation on C St. and chip sealing, when the county does this phase, on Dean, 4th, C, 3rd and Machin streets.

“This project will address the majority of the poorly rated streets connecting residential areas of town to the town hall, central business district, school district and fire station,” said the TIB project description. “This project will be done in two phases to keep costs low.”

Laura Jones, Endicott clerk/treasurer, said these are all roads that the town has needed assistance with funding to improve but have previously not been eligible for funding from TIB.

According to the TIB website, the curb, prep, parching and full-depth reclamation will be done in one state by public bid and the chip seal/double chip seal will be done by the county depending on when schedules permit. The design of the project was approved in April 2019 with the construction being approved in February 2020. The target date for the project closeout is December 2020.

Along with resurfacing projects across the county, many streets are having curbs/gutters repaired and along with Endicott stormwater mitigation.

The mission of the TIB is to fund high priority transportation projects in communities throughout the state to enhance the movement of people, goods and services.

TIB offers small city programs, this provides funding for towns with populations of less than 5,000 people. The four programs within the small city program are Small City Arterial Program, Small City Sidewalk Program, Small City Preservation Program and Relight Washington Program.