2011 road repairs not finished
YAKIMA -- Action News looks at the progress made on the highways last year. Several state projects focused on the Yakima Valley. KIMA has been following five of them and learned only two are ready to make your drive better this year.
For drivers like Tim John, money spent on road repairs is money well spent.
"I drive everyday and the more improvements that's happening in Yakima the safer I feel," said Tim John.
Money seemed to be the reason why most of the state road projects for 2011 never even got started.
Like work on a bridge on State Route 241 that's labeled by the state to have safety issues. The bridge near Mabton and Sunnyside is considered structurally deficient. It needs to be widened to support the weight of the big trucks that use it. So far, the legislature won't approve the money.
The same goes for a project up in Ellensburg on Thrall Road. A third lane was planned for trucks to make an easier drive during snow and fog, but it never got started.
This is by far the biggest road project to be finished before the New Year; the I-82 Valley Mall interchange. While other projects didn't have enough funds, it was actually finished half a million dollars under budget.
"I'm pretty happy that it's finally done it was causing a big traffic jam," said driver Sara Anderson.
Another big project complete for drivers is state route 823 in Selah. Senator Clements and Senator King pushed to get the money needed to finish it.
I-90 on Snoqualmie Pass also saw a lot of work this past year to widen the road. It's supposed to limit the number of times the pass needs to be closed. It won't be done until 2017, giving drivers something to look forward to.
The total cost for the five projects is close to $600 million.
For drivers like Tim John, money spent on road repairs is money well spent.
"I drive everyday and the more improvements that's happening in Yakima the safer I feel," said Tim John.
Money seemed to be the reason why most of the state road projects for 2011 never even got started.
Like work on a bridge on State Route 241 that's labeled by the state to have safety issues. The bridge near Mabton and Sunnyside is considered structurally deficient. It needs to be widened to support the weight of the big trucks that use it. So far, the legislature won't approve the money.
The same goes for a project up in Ellensburg on Thrall Road. A third lane was planned for trucks to make an easier drive during snow and fog, but it never got started.
This is by far the biggest road project to be finished before the New Year; the I-82 Valley Mall interchange. While other projects didn't have enough funds, it was actually finished half a million dollars under budget.
"I'm pretty happy that it's finally done it was causing a big traffic jam," said driver Sara Anderson.
Another big project complete for drivers is state route 823 in Selah. Senator Clements and Senator King pushed to get the money needed to finish it.
I-90 on Snoqualmie Pass also saw a lot of work this past year to widen the road. It's supposed to limit the number of times the pass needs to be closed. It won't be done until 2017, giving drivers something to look forward to.
The total cost for the five projects is close to $600 million.
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