Chelan - EAGLE CREEK ROAD
Project Number: 1149
From milepost 0 to milepost 3.3
RATA Funds: $2,457,000
Legislative District: 12
Status:
Date Approved: 2003
The roadway is predominately located on a bench notched into the rocky hillside above the valley floor. Eagle Creek Road is the sole access to residential, commercial (including a winery and a horse ranch), and public land within the Eagle Creek valley. It is utilized by area residents, is a school bus and postal route and provides access for recreational tourism and the timber industry.
Eagle Creek Road had a varying width of 16 to 20 feet with numerous vertical and horizontal curves below standards. Concerns regarding increasing ADT, as businesses and residents filled in the valley, as well as the poor condition of this rural major collector prompted Chelan County Public Works to develop a project to improve the existing corridor.
This project involved widening of the existing roadway, standardization of roadway geometrics, repair of a failing roadway surface and base, and provided a safer route for local pedestrians.
In 2000 and 2008 Chelan County Public Works hosted open houses and distributed a survey to collect information from residents regarding their use of the roadway. Both surveys reflected an overall positive response to safety and roadway condition improvements on Eagle Creek Road. Here residents were also able to express interest to maintain the rural country environment. Chelan County saw the role of the local residents and took the initiative to aid the residents in the formation of a Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC). Additional open houses were hosted in 2009. At these open houses, the CAC was able to work with and advise the County in regard to community interests. Though the CAC was primarily against the project in whole, it was able to assist the County to refine the project scope, primarily by narrowing the proposed new roadway width, and ultimately decreasing the footprint of the project on the surrounding environment.
During construction, several obstacles were encountered pertaining to utilities. Ownership of the telephone utility serving the area was transferred during design and construction and created a challenge in coordinating relocation work and maintaining phone service for area residents. This initiated a higher level of communication between the utility, county, and contractor that proved to be invaluable. Although efforts to relocate the power system within the project contract were unsuccessful, coordination between the power provider, the county and the contractor created a highly effective partnership during construction. This partnership was successful in creating minimal impacts to the residents.
Throughout construction, weekly updates were mailed and e-mailed to interested parties regarding planned work for the following week, to continually keep residents informed about the status of the project and warn of potential delays that may be experienced. Many residents used this information to effectively plan their days around the construction so they would not be inconvenienced. In response to the weekly updates one resident even wrote “I have appreciated your updates each week; they made a HUGE difference in an otherwise stressful situation.”
Near project completion the county received an email that stated: “We want to express to you our gratitude to the people that have been working on the Eagle Creek Road project. The crew that worked on the job have been professional, considerate and helpful. Everyone has gone out of their way to make an unpleasant situation, tolerable... In all, the road is turning out beautifully and we want to commend your people for a job well done.” And another following completion that states: “Great job on the road project. Pass on a big thank you to all who worked so hard to get this done.”
The completed project is a context sensitive solution that provided major safety improvements from the original roadway such as a standard roadway width, shoulders for increased pedestrian safety, and increased sight distance, all while maintaining a rural atmosphere for the community.
Eagle Creek Road had a varying width of 16 to 20 feet with numerous vertical and horizontal curves below standards. Concerns regarding increasing ADT, as businesses and residents filled in the valley, as well as the poor condition of this rural major collector prompted Chelan County Public Works to develop a project to improve the existing corridor.
This project involved widening of the existing roadway, standardization of roadway geometrics, repair of a failing roadway surface and base, and provided a safer route for local pedestrians.
In 2000 and 2008 Chelan County Public Works hosted open houses and distributed a survey to collect information from residents regarding their use of the roadway. Both surveys reflected an overall positive response to safety and roadway condition improvements on Eagle Creek Road. Here residents were also able to express interest to maintain the rural country environment. Chelan County saw the role of the local residents and took the initiative to aid the residents in the formation of a Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC). Additional open houses were hosted in 2009. At these open houses, the CAC was able to work with and advise the County in regard to community interests. Though the CAC was primarily against the project in whole, it was able to assist the County to refine the project scope, primarily by narrowing the proposed new roadway width, and ultimately decreasing the footprint of the project on the surrounding environment.
During construction, several obstacles were encountered pertaining to utilities. Ownership of the telephone utility serving the area was transferred during design and construction and created a challenge in coordinating relocation work and maintaining phone service for area residents. This initiated a higher level of communication between the utility, county, and contractor that proved to be invaluable. Although efforts to relocate the power system within the project contract were unsuccessful, coordination between the power provider, the county and the contractor created a highly effective partnership during construction. This partnership was successful in creating minimal impacts to the residents.
Throughout construction, weekly updates were mailed and e-mailed to interested parties regarding planned work for the following week, to continually keep residents informed about the status of the project and warn of potential delays that may be experienced. Many residents used this information to effectively plan their days around the construction so they would not be inconvenienced. In response to the weekly updates one resident even wrote “I have appreciated your updates each week; they made a HUGE difference in an otherwise stressful situation.”
Near project completion the county received an email that stated: “We want to express to you our gratitude to the people that have been working on the Eagle Creek Road project. The crew that worked on the job have been professional, considerate and helpful. Everyone has gone out of their way to make an unpleasant situation, tolerable... In all, the road is turning out beautifully and we want to commend your people for a job well done.” And another following completion that states: “Great job on the road project. Pass on a big thank you to all who worked so hard to get this done.”
The completed project is a context sensitive solution that provided major safety improvements from the original roadway such as a standard roadway width, shoulders for increased pedestrian safety, and increased sight distance, all while maintaining a rural atmosphere for the community.