10/12/2009
Northeast Ward Road to reopen to traffic Saturday, October 17
Vancouver, WA – Weather permitting, Northeast Ward Road will reopen to through traffic on Saturday, October 17, following four months of construction.
Nearby Northeast 99th Street and Northeast 172nd Avenue will remain closed. Those two roads are expected to reopen in November and December, respectively, but both could reopen earlier, depending on construction progress.
The area will remain an active construction zone while Nutter Corp. of Vancouver, the project’s contractor, finishes its work. Motorists should exercise caution when driving through the construction zone.
This section of Northeast Ward Road, used by more than 12,000 vehicles a day, was closed in mid-June for replacement of a bridge over China Ditch and realignment of Northeast Ward Road’s intersection with Northeast 172nd Avenue. A new bridge over China Ditch also was built on Northeast 172nd Avenue.
The $9.5 million project widened Northeast Ward Road, added left-turn lanes and improved roadway shoulders. A traffic signal will be installed at Northeast Ward Road’s realigned intersection with Northeast 172nd Avenue.
The project includes new stormwater treatment facilities and wetland and habitat improvements to offset the environmental effects of road construction.
Nutter Corp. is working under supervision of Clark County Public Works staff, with the project supporting more than 70 family-wage jobs in the private sector.
The previous intersection of Northeast Ward Road and Northeast 172nd Avenue had one of the highest accident rates in the county road system. About half of these were rear-end crashes with vehicles waiting to turn left off of Northeast Ward Road. The realignment project created a better way for northbound motorists on Northeast Ward Road to turn onto Northeast 172nd Avenue, as well as for drivers to enter Northeast Ward Road from Northeast 172nd Avenue.
top of page
