The proposed intersection improvements at state Route 410 and Sumner-Buckley Highway have taken a hefty step forward.

Tim Hedges from the Kirkland consulting firm, The Transpo Group, presented a &#822030 percent” design draft to the Bonney Lake City Council at a Sept. 19 workshop. Council members approved moving the plan forward to complete the 30 percent design document, which will set the cost and design of the work and designate land that will need to be acquired for construction.

&#8220It will be a tremendous improvement to the entry of the city,” Public Works Director Dan Grigsby said.

Hedges outlined the project, which includes widening SR 410 and Sumner-Buckley Highway at the intersection.

The Transpo Group's design had a U-turn on eastbound SR 410 at the intersection, but council members elected to drop it for safety reasons.

The project would add a second left turn lane on SR 410 eastbound and extend the existing left turn lane and the new one farther down the hill toward Myers Road.

The left turn off Myers Road onto SR 410 would be eliminated.

A right-turn lane would be added to SR 410 westbound onto Sumner-Buckley Highway.

Sumner-Buckley Highway would be expanded to five lanes up to the Public Safety Building where it narrows to four.

A right in and right out only will be added to 182 Avenue East.

A median strip will be added to SR 410 up to 184th Avenue East, eliminating left turns across 410 for drivers both east- and west-bound.

Sidewalks will be built from Myers Road to Sumner-Buckley Highway along SR 410. Another sidewalk will be constructed along Sumner-Buckley Highway to Locust Street.

The Cascadia Corporation, as part of a traffic mitigation agreement, will pay the bulk of the multi-million dollar project. Cascadia is planning a 6,500 home development south of the city.

While council members saw the intersections improvement as a positive step for the city, Deputy Mayor Dan Swatman pointed out the &#8220Bonney Lake Auto Parts store will be the loser. We will have to appraise the auto parts store's losses.”

The store's owner, Mike Pate, said he didn't believe the project would significantly improve traffic problems at the intersection.

&#8220I think the whole thing is a folly,” Pate said. &#8220And I don't know what I'm going to do.”

George Brown, owner of the Thian Thai restaurant at 18313 Sumner-Buckley Hwy., said he has come concerns, too.

&#8220I'm trying to monitor what's going on,” Brown said. &#8220I'm depending on being able to get around the building. I hope they don't restrict access.”

Grigsby said the construction could start in the late summer of 2007 and be completed in the summer of 2008.

Dennis Box can be reached at dbox@courierherald.com.