Summer is here and crews are busy on a number of improvements. To help you know before you go, current projects and related traffic impacts include:
72nd Ave/Washington Ave roundabout construction
The second of four phases to construct a roundabout at the intersection of 72nd Avenue and Washington Avenue begins Monday, June 30th. This requires closing the west side of the intersection at South 72nd Avenue and West Washington Avenue.
Traffic delays in the project area are likely to occur. Drivers should use alternate routes if possible until the project is completed.
Phase 1 began June 16th, and the entire project is expected to be complete by this November.
The $1.47 million project is funded by the Washington State Transportation Improvement Board and money appropriated by the Washington State Legislature.
Fruitvale Blvd/River Road/34th Ave roundabout construction
The following road closures are in place through the beginning of September due to roundabout construction at Fruitvale Boulevard/River Road/34th Avenue:
- Fruitvale Boulevard at River Road and 34th Ave closed to all commercial truck traffic.
- River Road access from Fruitvale Boulevard closed to all motor vehicle traffic.
Detours are posted.
Due to construction, Yakima Transit Route 3 has a detour. There is no bus service on River Road between N. 34th Ave and N. 20th Ave. The route continues east on Fruitvale Blvd to N. 20th Ave, left on N. 20th Ave, then right on River Road to resume the route.
For more about the project call City of Yakima Chief Engineer Dana Kallevig at 509-575-6048.
Chip sealing program
TThe City of Yakima Streets Division will begin its annual chip sealing program on Wednesday, June 25th.
This year’s project will be completed in the following order:
- Summitview Avenue and Tieton Drive from 48th Avenue to 56th Avenue
- Tieton Drive and Nob Hill Boulevard from 48th Avenue to 60th Avenue
The project is expected to conclude approximately the first week of September. Crews will be working in the project areas from 6:00 am to 4:00 pm, Monday through Thursday.
There will be no on-street parking in the project areas while chip sealing is underway.
The City also asks residents to please keep irrigation water off of the chip seal for at least 48 hours so oil will set up properly.
The City will have flaggers on site to help drivers access homes and businesses and also assist emergency vehicles through the work areas as needed. Message boards will also be on site. There will be intermittent road closures and detours during the project.
To reduce dust and keep work crews safe, 20-mile-per-hour speed limits will be strictly enforced on streets where chip sealing is underway. Access to homes and businesses on the roads to be chip sealed may be restricted for short durations while work is underway.
Asphalt roads deteriorate over time due to traffic and exposure to sun and wet weather. As a part of the City’s ongoing street maintenance program, chip sealing is done on a periodic basis in order to protect road surfaces from further damage and to keep them in good condition.
Chip sealing helps maintain existing pavement in its present condition by delaying further aging due to traffic, water and sun, enhances the texture of a road surface and improves skid resistance, and corrects existing pavement problems by sealing cracks.
The best aspect of chip sealing is simple economics. Chip sealing saves taxpayer dollars because it protects the road from deterioration and greatly delays the need for a new asphalt overlay to repair a deteriorated road.
Contact Street Maintenance Supervisor Jay Kendall at 509-576-6443 for more about the City of Yakima’s chip sealing program.
Expanding water, wastewater access to underserved areas
On June 23rd, the city began a project to expand water/wastewater access to northeast areas of Yakima currently served by private wells and septic systems. These include areas of N. 3rd St, N. 4th St, E. Q St, E. O St and Oak St.
During initial construction of the wastewater system in the northeast project area, the amount of ground water was more than anticipated. Due to the high ground water conditions, work will move to the south central area of Yakima. As a result, 10th Avenue is closed with “local access only” from Mead Avenue to Spokane Street beginning Monday, July 7th.
Work in the south central area is expected to last into August.
Construction will return to the northeast area this fall, when ground water conditions are expected to improve. The project is expected to be completed February 2026.
This is an important project for City of Yakima, to construct new water and wastewater systems in the northeast and south central areas of the city. The northeast area work will include areas along North 3rd Street, North 4th Street, East Q Street, East O Street and Oak Street. South central area improvements will include South 10th Avenue and Woodland Avenue.
Traffic control devices will be in place during construction to direct traffic around the immediate areas of construction. Temporary road closures may be necessary at times, although detours will be in place to provide local access.
Once the new water system is installed, there will be temporary water outages while the new system is being placed into service. A minimum of 24-hours advance notice will be provided for all scheduled water outages.
The $2.2 million grant-funded project will also bring water/wastewater improvements to south central Yakima this fall.
In closing…
- Please remember to slow down in work zones.
- Access to homes and businesses in project areas are maintained as best as possible.
- Street closures may cause interruptions in scheduled refuse collection. Contact the City of Yakima Refuse Division at 509-575-6005 for more information.
- Schedules for these projects are subject to change daily dependent on weather, equipment failure and emergencies.
- See a pothole or an issue with a City street? Let us know at Yak Back | City of Yakima (yakimawa.gov)
- Thank you for your patience and cooperation!
