Confluence Parkway South Project to Continue in Wenatchee

Phase one of the ambitious, polarizing Confluence Parkway South Project continues more or less unabated following a Wenatchee City Council meeting on Thursday.

The city gave the go-ahead for the acquisition of easements, both permanent and temporary, and clarified where it stands with its design builders. According to city engineer Jake Lewing, Kraemer and Scarsella Bros. were the most appealing of the firms that submitted proposals; they were tapped by the city in 2023 and are working jointly on PDB.

This project entails a $4M+ investment to secure easement rights for five parcels in North Wenatchee. These rights are necessary for the reconstruction of Hawley St. and N. Miller St. and the sewer main along the BNSF Railroad.

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This is phase one, you ask? Yes - due to escalating costs, the project is set to proceed incrementally. Some local business and property owners are chagrined, citing the potential for displacement and difficulty in finding alternative locations. Such real estate is elusive at best in this area, says Jimmy Holman, owner of a local auto body shop.

The project, about 2.5 miles in length, is dramatic indeed: it includes an overpass over the BSNF Railroad, a sprawling bridge across the Wenatchee River and a new pedestrian bridge replacing the Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail bridge. The project's south portion is wholly funded by an Infrastructure for Rebuilding America grant.

Additionally, the city has approved a change order for its contracts with Kraemer and Scarsella Bros. According to Lewing, this allows for maximal collaboration throughout the design and construction phases. He says the goal is to complete the design in advance of setting a "Guaranteed Maximum Price."

"We're currently still negotiating the GMP with them," Lewing said at Thursday's meeting. "But this change order would allow them to continue to advance the design to our final design proposal."

Final design work is expected to start this month. Construction, we're told, will commence in the summertime.

Click here to watch the meeting in its entirety.

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