For years, the city of Buckley has hoped to rid itself of the aptly-named “malfunction junction,” the jumbled confluence of two state highways and a pair of busy city roads.

Now, it appears a solution is at hand. More importantly, it looks like there’s money available to turn Buckley’s dream to reality.

Members of the City Council voted April 12 to award a construction bid for what is known in city circles as the SR 410/SR 165/Ryan Road/112th Street East Realignment Project.

Phase I of the project was built in 2011 and aligned Ryan Road with 112th Street East, crossing SR 165. It was seen as a temporary measure and is in line to be modified.

Phase II, which could begin as early as May and is expected to be completed by November, adds new sections of pavement and wipes away others. When finished, the project will:

• realign SR 165, bending it slightly west to create a “T” intersection at SR 410. A traditional red-yellow-green traffic light will be added where the highways meet, just west of where 410 curves.

• realign River Avenue so it connects to Ryan Road at a “T” intersection.

In addition, the project would improve the intersection of SR 165 and 112th/Ryan Road, including additional street lighting; add pedestrian improvements along SR 165 between Ryan Road and SR 410; and realign a portion of the Foothills Trail to allow users to more safely cross SR 165.

Dollars and cents

Original estimates had pegged the contractor bids to come in at about $1.5 million, but the numbers received were noticeably higher. Bids from nine companies were opened April 7 and the best offer was forwarded by Johansen Excavation; the Buckley firm submitted a bid of slightly more than $1.8 million.

That was 22 percent, or about $333,000, more than anticipated. The City Council opted to move forward.

The math behind the project begins with a total expected cost of $2.4 million. That includes the contractor bid, design engineering and construction engineering.

On the revenue side of the equation, the city has received federal funding, passed through the state’s Department of Transportation, in the amount of $1.6 million; another $600,000 was obtained in the form of a grant from the state’s Transportation Improvement Board. Recently, the TIB authorized a bit more money to come Buckley’s way.

The funding shortfall – identified as a bit less than $170,000 – will have to be picked up by the city. The municipal Street Capital Account has a current balance of a little more than $700,000, which would more than cover the cost.