State DOT says project will improve safety on SR-22

Over a three-year period, the two-mile stretch of State Route 22 north of Toppenish has seen 101 accidents.

Running between Interstate 82 and town, the road is narrow with steep slopes on both sides.

But soon that will change under a $4.9 million project to make the road safer by widening it and leveling its roadside slopes. Sidewalks and guardrails will also be installed.

“It needs to be wider to accommodate more traffic,” said state Department of Transportation spokeswoman Meagan McFadden.

Work is expected to begin in the spring of 2010 and the project should be finished by the end of that year, McFadden said.

The state will begin seeking bids on the project next year, she said.

There will be traffic delays during construction as traffic in both directions will be reduced to a single lane, she said.

A high number of accidents prompted the project. Of the 101 accidents between August 2004 and August 2007, nearly a quarter involved vehicles that left the roadway, and 72 accidents were at intersections, McFadden said.

Traffic has increased along the roadway over recent years, and now more than 8,000 motorists travel it daily, she said.

Revenue from the state gas tax is paying for most of the project with roughly another $1 million coming from existing Department of Revenue funds, she said.