Worst roads in line for major upgrades

By Kevin Hanson

The Courier-Herald

Those who regularly travel Battersby Avenue are enjoying a smoother ride these days.

The roadway remains relatively narrow and there's still a precarious drop along both edges, but a new coat of asphalt has eliminated the bone-jarring bumps of just a few weeks ago.

Battersby Avenue was the first project on the city of Enumclaw's summer road improvement list. The asphalt overlay was completed at a cost of approximately $210,000 and the city now turns its attention to two more projects on the 2006 agenda.

Due for some serious work is a chassis-rattling portion of Porter Avenue. Plans call for an overlay between Griffin and Stevenson avenues, a project with an estimated price tag of $100,000.

It's a short but busy piece of road under consideration - running in front of Mutual of Enumclaw - but it's figured traffic delays will be limited to perhaps two days.

Due for major reconstruction this year is a rugged stretch of Warner Avenue sitting east of state Route 410. Scheduled for work is the portion between Blake and Watson streets. It will see a new surface, along with curbs, gutters and sidewalks added to the north side, all at a cost of about $800,000. The road is the dividing line between the city and King County.

City Public Works Director Chris Searcy recently appeared before the City Council, explaining a full six-year program of anticipated road work. Each city in the state is required to annually adopt a six-year road plan, though the list is absolutely non-binding.

Included on the Enumclaw list for 2007 are a state Route 410 corridor study, work on Porter Street (at McHugh) and work on the proposed Welcome Center.

Identified for 2008 were continued improvements to Battersby Avenue, additional planning and design for the Foothills Trail, Dickson Avenue improvements and enhancements to pedestrian crossings along Griffin Avenue.

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