Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Two new lanes planned for SR 26 near Colfax
COLFAX — Two new passing lanes on State Route 26, between Colfax and Dusty, have been delayed.
Originally set for construction this summer, the start date was pushed to next year due to delays related to the pandemic, according to Ryan Overton, public information officer for the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT).
Construction is now scheduled to begin in the spring of 2022 with completion set for 2023.
The date for the project to go to bid was moved from March to Nov. 15.
In the spring of 2020 when pandemic restrictions hit, the move to teleworking limited WSDOT’s ability to share files, and their network had to be upgraded, causing delays, Overton said.
Right-of-way plans for the passing lanes were approved in the fall of 2020 and sent to landowners along the route.
“From there it takes 8 to 10 months to secure the right-of-ways,” said Overton. “This was not the only project affected.”
Funding for the estimated $11.5 million lanes project was passed by the state legislature in 2015 as part of a package called “Connecting Washington.” It called for construction in 2023. The projects’ funding was moved to the 2019-2020 biennium, in part because of a lobbying effort led by Pullman Mayor Glenn Johnson.
“(Moving it up) already put on a significant stress to acquire the right-of-ways in time,” said Overton.
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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