During the Chehalis City Council’s Monday, Dec. 9, meeting, the council unanimously approved the acceptance of a pair of Washington state Transportation Improvement Board (TIB) grants for funding nearly $1.3 million in construction work on Southwest 13th Street and Northwest Louisiana Avenue.
The TIB grant funding for the work on Northwest Louisiana Avenue totalled $808,920, with a 10% match from the City of Chehalis of $89,870, as the total eligible project cost is expected to be $898,790, according to the council’s agenda report.
Construction work for the project will involve grind and inlay work on Northwest Louisiana Avenue between Northwest Chamber of Commerce Way and the southern roundabout at Northwest Arkansas Way.
“This is to do a full-width grind and inlay repair of ADA (Americans with Disability Act) curb ramps from the intersection at Louisiana (Avenue) through the roundabout,” Chehalis Capital Improvement Manager Celest Wilder told the council during Monday’s meeting. “... We can hopefully take care of that leaky water valve in the roundabout there at Arkansas Way at the same time too.”
The TIB grant funding for the work on Southwest 13th Street totalled $479,412, with a 20% match from the city of $113,268 as the total project cost is expected to be $592,680.
This funding will pay for sidewalk construction and ADA compliant curb ramp improvement work on Southwest 13th Street from South Market Boulevard to Southwest Interstate Avenue.
New sidewalks and ramps were needed and this work continues construction completed earlier this year during summer to ensure ADA compliance and enhance the safety of Chehalis residents walking to and from public park facilities.
“We started at Market (Boulevard) and went to about Williams (Avenue), with the exception of that one curb ramp on the northeast corner of the intersection,” Wilder said. “So that will be encapsulated with this, next summer that will happen, along with continuing out the improvements to Interstate Avenue.”
Chehalis City Council approval for accepting the grants was needed as the matching funds for both were sourced from the city’s Transportation Benefit District fund.
Both construction projects are expected to begin in the summer of 2025, Wilder said to The Chronicle in an email.
