Dangerous highway corridor could get facelift: State reveals plans to widen SR 270

The Washington State Department of Transportation unveiled its plans for a four-lane version of State Route 270 at the Pullman City Council meeting Tuesday night.

City Council members had one main question: when?

Plans have been in the works to widen the highway for years. The last completion date was 1995.

"The city has had a long history of supporting the expansion of SR 270 from two lanes to four lanes," City Supervisor John Sherman said.

He said the city has discussed the highway safety issue several times during the past six months, noting SR 270 is used by some 15,000 cars a day between Pullman and Moscow.

Since the June 4 crash on SR 270 that killed three Washington State University students, the call for money to build a safer road has intensified. The city sent letters to every legislator in Olympia, the WSDOT and the governor.

The plan would essentially create a two-lane highway going in each direction, with a 60-foot median to separate on-coming traffic.

The plan displayed Tuesday, developed within the past two months, would deviate from the existing highway in two locations. The highway would be moved north near Champion Electric and redirected behind the Avista Utilities building near Pullman.

A second set of two lanes also would be constructed north of the existing highway and would be used for westbound traffic.

"Is there a good chance that this will proceed?" Councilwoman Helen Stiller asked.

Max Patterson, assistant project engineer, said the WSDOT had funding to develop the alignment plans and to identify which right-of-way property to buy.

"Everything we have done ... has gotten us just to this point," Councilman Rich Dougherty said. He asked how the city could get the Legislature to provide the funding to finish the project.

Patterson said it would take pressure from more than just the district's legislators to write the money into the budget, but Gov. Gary Locke had included the project in his preliminary 2003-2005 budget.

The WSDOT was already convinced, he added. "The department, as a whole, is pushing for this project."

By moving the four-lane highway north of the Avista building, which is east of Airport Road, it can be connected to an eventual plan to route State Route 276 around Pullman.

In the future, the proposed north bypass of .. 276 would link to SR 270 above the Avista building, Patterson explained. The state purchased the right of way for the SR 276 bypass more than 20 years ago.

Mark Workman, city public works director, said by going around the building, the state avoids purchasing Avista's land and building numerous bridges over Paradise Creek.

The cost would be essentially the same either way, he said.

Both Workman and Patterson said it would be easier to find funding for the project once plans were completed.

"An actual building project has more pull than a design project," Patterson said.

Councilman Bill Paul said he was pleased with the progress.

"I think it's good to see an actual plan," he said. "This is as far as I've seen this go."