AIRWAY HEIGHTS – Road crews will begin improving the intersection of Hayford Road and U.S. Highway 2 on Sept. 20 causing multiple lane closures and detours through Oct. 15.
Drivers can expect some sections of Hayford to remain closed from through at least Oct. 1, Airway Heights City Engineer Mark Bergam said.
Project leaders allocated four weeks for the project, but hope the work will be finished between in 2-3 weeks.
The goal is to have two southbound left-turn lanes between Numerica and Wal-Mart, Bergam said. There is only a single turn-lane now.
A divider lined with “candlesticks” will also be placed along Hayford, preventing left turns out of the Wal-Mart parking lot nearest the intersection.
Project leaders hope that will reduce the number of crashes at the intersection and increase the road capacity, along with improving the timing of the stoplights at the troubled intersection.
Bergam said construction may seem frustrating for some drivers and business owners during the process, but it is a temporary inconvenience to improve a problematic intersection.
“This will reduce accidents, improve the flow of traffic to and from businesses, and improve the signage and lights at the intersection,” he said.
As work starts in the area north of U.S. 2, the southbound lanes of Hayford be closed from 12th Avenue to U.S. Highway 2.
Business access will be open and maintained through cones placed for any forthcoming southbound commuters, officials said. Westbound motorists making right turns will be able to access businesses by traveling north on Hayford, as will eastbound drivers in left-turn lanes.
Northbound Hayford traffic will be regulated, officials said.
However, southbound travelers on Hayford will have to find an alternate route to access the highway as the intersection will be closed to them.
Drivers will need to detour down 12th Avenue to Deer Heights Road , if they want to travel east, officials said.
The northern driveway of Wal-Mart will be open to travel north on Hayford; however, the driveways to both Numerica and Cal’s Auto Sales will be closed on Hayford, but open for business access on U.S. 2.
Drivers traveling on the south side of U.S. 2 will see closure to the northbound lanes of traffic for about the first 500 feet south of highway 2, and cones will keep traffic flow open to both the southern Maverick driveway as well as the middle driveways to the Hayford Crossing shopping center. Commuters trying to reach highway 2 to travel towards Fairchild Airforce Base or Reardan will have to detour at McFarlane Road and then follow Garfield Road to the highway.
Eastbound Hhighway 2 motorists can expect the left-turn lane closest to the center line to be closed, officials said. However, the outer turning lane will remain to get into the shopping center.
This project originally estimated at close to $300,000 had been postponed for nearly a year due to COVID-19 restrictions.
“With the pandemic coming in last year, many people in the Washington Department of Transportation office had not been in the office,” Bergam said. “Many of the workers in those offices ended up going to remote positions making it tough for us to schedule inspections and ensure we would be within state regulations.”
The delay also caused the original price tag to increase to around $400,000, Bergam said.
Much of the cost increase comes as increased regulations forced the purchase of additional licenses, and a recent surge in material price has impacted the overall cost, as well, he said.
The bill will be paid by the city with the Kalispel Tribe contributing $105,000 to the project, Bergam said.
Matthew can be reached at [email protected]
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