Work On Confluence Pkwy. Project To Break Ground Next Month

Next month, the City of Wenatchee will officially break ground on its ambitious Confluence Parkway Project.

Crews will begin working on Phase 1 of the $177 million project by prepping several roads for retrofitting and realigning utilities at the north end of town.

Several months later, motorists in the Wenatchee Valley will see the first of several road closures associated with the project.

"In June, we will close North Miller Street to local access only at the railroad crossing between Maple Street and Walla Walla Avenue for additional work," says City Administrator Laura Gloria. "That will become an overpass at the railroad tracks. There's still some businesses in the area that will require access, but for just normal everyday traffic, it will no longer be an alternative to use. But we don't anticipate it will create much of a congestion issue."

The closure will be in effect 24 hours a day and remain in place until the work is finished, which the City says isn't expected until sometime in mid-2027.

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Phase 1 of Confluence will also include the construction of a bridge over BNSF Railway tracks at McKittrick Street; 1.25 miles of new street for motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists; the extension of McKittrick Street; construction of a roundabout at North Miller and Hawley Streets; the installation of new traffic signals at the intersection of Maple Street; and the creation of direct access to parks and trails in the area.

Gloria says that while the City isn't expecting to hit any major snags or delays due to issues with state or federal funding, they are keeping a close eye on goings on in both Washingtons for anything which might create an issue.

"At this time, we have a contract with the federal government. We have also obligated our funds for the project, which means we've programmed them in and gotten all of the necessary approvals. So we hope that there's not a direct impact to our project. However, we are in a bit of a waiting game to find out the results of an analysis from the federal government to find out which programs they would like to revise or analyze further. We are keeping active track of all the conversations that pertain to our project so that we can adjust our plans, if needed."

For the moment, the only governmental waves that Gloria sees which might cause a ripple effect during the project have to do with funding allocations.

"At minimum, I think we might see some delays in reimbursements or payments just because of the federal capacity from a workforce standpoint. But we've already started to be somewhat proactive about that by sending more invoices on a more frequent basis so that we can get those turned around and not have a substantial amount which is outstanding to us at any one time. There's nothing direct that could impact our receipt of funding for the project at this time, but things are always in flux, so we're actively monitoring the situation."

In addition to its vigilant stance regarding funding reimbursements for the project, Gloria says the City is also working to make certain the project will be completed in its entirety, even if that happens somewhat later than originally planned.

"We have broken this project into phases because of the inflationary costs that require us to do that. We no longer have funding the project as a whole but we've phased it out into smaller chunks. We recently met with Senator (Keith) Goehner to talk about requesting a breakdown into future phases. There's obviously some questions as to whether a future package of funds might be available, but we definitely have the dollars locked in for this first phase."

In 2021, the City received a $92 million Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) program grant for Confluence Parkway from the federal government.

Later phases of the project call for the building of additional roadways and the construction of a new vehicle bridge over the Wenatchee River.