By Kevin Hanson-The Courier-Herald

There's good news on the transportation front, as it appears money will be made available to upgrade a busy stretch of highway in Bonney Lake's &#8220Eastown” district.

Of course, those who keep an eye on hectic state Route 410 and, in particular, the increasingly-busy intersection at 234th Avenue, have learned not to get their hopes too high. Money has been earmarked for that section of highway before, only to be pulled back as budgets tightened and priorities shifted.

But there's reason to celebrate again, according to State Rep. Chris Hurst, who reports money will likely be included for the entire project during this session of the state Legislature. Hurst said he's been promised by Rep. Judy Clibborn, who chairs the Transportation Committee in the House of Representatives, that 410 funding will be included in the transportation package moved out of the House.

There are two key elements to the improvement project and both are in line for funding, Hurst said. The first step is to add more lanes of travel and part two is to substantially improve the now-offset 233rd/244th intersection.

According to the DOT Web site, the number of vehicles traveling 410 between 214th and 234th &#8220have surpassed the capacity of a two-lane roadway, therefore the purpose of this project is to relieve congestion and improve safety.” The DOT correctly notes the area around Bonney Lake has boomed during the past decade and the highway is feeling the impact.

Plans call for the addition of one lane in each direction, with a median separating the eastbound and westbound lanes. There will be three &#8220breaks” in the median to allow for left turns; reducing the opportunities for left turns will increase safety, it is believed.

The other key element to the project is to align 233rd and 244th, which are now slightly offset, and add a traffic light to the intersection. The intersection &#8220is currently identified as a high accident location,” according to the DOT Web site. Heavy volume on the highway makes it difficult for motorists to make left turns onto 410, &#8220which causes many people to make risky maneuvers, thus leading to high accident rates,” the Web site says.

The project got under way in 2004 when a DOT design team started its work, but it appears things could begin picking up speed in the months to come. According to DOT, intersection improvements could begin this summer with the remainder of the project earmarked for construction in the spring of 2009.

Kevin Hanson can be reached at khanson@courierherald.com.