Work Starts Monday On East Wenatchee Rock Island Rd. Project

Crew are starting work Monday on Rock Island Road in East Wenatchee with an improvement project between Grant Road and McGee Street.

The city Water District will be replacing an old steel water main and service connections before a pavement overlay of the roadway takes place.

The project is expected to last eight weeks and be completed by May 8.

The city is advising drivers to expect delays, although the road will be open in both directions and all businesses will be open and accessible to the public.

The road is close toward the end of the project for crews to complete the paving/overlay portion.

The city says it'll release more information once exact dates of the closure are known.

The East Wenatchee City Council approved a $1,020,750.75 contract earlier this month for Pipkin Construction to handle the project.

It’ll include upgrades to five corner curbs to accommodate wheelchairs to be ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant.

The project will mostly be financed by a grant from the Washington Transportation Improvement Board (TIB).

About two-thirds of the cost, $636,733.75, will be channeled through the Water District.

The city’s TIB Grant will cover $325,254 of the city's portion of construction. In addition, the Water District is contributing $49,700 towards the city's schedule to split the savings from the roadway being repaved.

The savings will be realized through the efficiency of combining the projects. By doing so, the Water District will not have to patch the pavement disturbed during their mainline replacement. The district's work will take place before the repaving takes place.