City of Wenatchee Breaks Ground on Confluence Parkway Phase 1

The City of Wenatchee broke ground on the Confluence Parkway Phase 1 Project Thursday afternoon.

The project hopes to improve congestion in the valley as well as improve connectivity for emergency services and agriculture and improve emergency situations.

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Phase 1 will add 1.25 miles of new street including a new McKittrick Street, a new roundabout and new signalized intersection. It will also provide two new bridges across BNSF Railway and direct access to parks and trails.

Mayor Mike Poirer says this project and the over $90 million in grants and funding is a testament to how well the city is doing.

"When we went back to Washington D.C. last year, what we were told in some of the senator's offices was, 'look at what Wenatchee is doing, they're not going to hand back that money,'" Poirer said. "Are we that good? The answer is yes we're that good."

Poirer says the biggest impact for this project includes safe evacuation routes in the case of a severe wildfire.

East Wenatchee Mayor Jerillea Crawford hopes to see improvements to congestion in the Wenatchee Valley. She's also excited to see the bridge built when Phase 2 hits after the completion of Phase 1 in 2027.

"When you have bottlenecks in our community businesses don't necessarily want to relocate, people may not want to move here," Crawford said. "If you don't have options for them it can definitely inhibit our growth, so I think it will be an attractive piece to bringing more residents and business to our region."

Phase 2 implements 1.5 miles of new street for vehicles and bicylists and 1.25 miles of Apple Capital Loop Trail recreation for pedestrians and bicyclists, new access for transit, a new bridge over the Wenatchee River, and a new emergency access route.
8th District U.S. Representative Kim Schrier says this has been a project in the making for years even before her election.

"Working with both parties, with [Mayor] Frank Kuntz, Mayor Poirer, [Chelan County Commissioner] Brad Hawkins, Mayor Poirer for so long and now we get shovels in the ground and I'm excited to come back for the ribbon cutting," Rep. Schrier said.
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell emphasized how important this project is for moving agricultural projects out of the Wenatchee Valley.

"A lot of people, starting way back in 2010 even, said 'what do we need to do to allow the industry to still be right here but yet get product to the freeway?'," Sen. Cantwell said. "We like moving freight, we made that a national priority, money came out of that INFRA (Infrastructure for Rebuilding America) freight program to fund this, so we're excited to show Wenatchee can lead the way and show what this does for the economy."

Washington State Department of Transportation says this project is using a Progressive Design Build and will take a while to fully finish, but Phase 1 should finish late 2027.

Phase 3 aims to build three-quarters of a mile of street expansion, direct routes for users, two signalized railroad crossing, and new signalized intersections.

Phase 4 focuses on the southern portion of the parkway to include intersection safety enhancements for pedestrians, reduce delays, and intersection operational improvement.