PRESS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION
Kara Raftery (Zupke) | Communications and Special Projects Manager
City of Leavenworth
509.548.5275 ext. 136 | [email protected]
WASHINGTON STATE TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT BOARD (TIB) AWARDS OVER $1.9 MILLION IN GRANT FUNDING TO CITY OF LEAVENWORTH FOR MULTIPLE PROJECTS
LEAVENWORTH, WA, December 8, 2023 – The Washington State Transportation Improvement Board (TIB) has awarded nearly $1.95 million in funding to the City of Leavenworth for several city-wide transportation improvement efforts that will take place in 2024.
Most of the City’s streets were originally constructed by paving a thin layer of asphalt over existing dirt roads. As design standards have progressed and traffic volumes have increased over the years, most of the City’s streets do not meet current standards. The deficient roadway structure has resulted in numerous obstacles for the preservation and maintenance of city streets. After a pavement inventory completed in Spring 2023, the City now has the third worst average pavement condition rating in the state.
TIB and the City have been actively collaborating to create a street-specific plan to address roadway deficiencies. The collaborative plan is a multi-faceted approach that includes regular maintenance on streets that are currently in good condition, targeted maintenance on streets to prevent them from getting worse, and full-depth reconstruction on streets that are degraded beyond repair. Now, together, TIB and the City are taking on three city-wide projects to begin tackling the City’s deteriorating roadway network.
“We are excited to partner with the City of Leavenworth on this ‘Catch-up, Keep-Up’ street strategy,” says TIB’s Executive Director, Ashley Probart. TIB’s in-depth selection process awarded funding for the following projects for 2024:
- Scrub Seal. TIB’s “Red Town Initiative” has highlighted Leavenworth as one of the top 5 cities with the worst pavement ratings, statewide. The proposed scrub seal will function similarly to a traditional chip seal by applying an asphalt emulsion and crushed rock to the roadway. The treatment is a cost-effective method of pavement preservation that fills existing roadway cracks and provides protection to the existing roadway surfacing. TIB is awarding a grant of $1,575,000 for this work.
- Curb Ramp Improvements. This project aims to reconstruct pedestrian curb ramps on City streets that will be planed, paved, or overlaid in the future. Placement of new curb ramps will target streets that have sufficient utilities but are currently limited in roadway structural improvements by the existing non-ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant pedestrian curb ramps. Once completed, this will allow for approximately 5,600 lineal feet of city streets to be eligible for roadway structural improvements. TIB is awarding a grant of $277,992 for curb ramp improvements.
- Street Maintenance. This project will address maintenance needs on city streets as identified by TIB during their Spring 2023 street inventory. Maintenance efforts will include a combination of crack sealing, spot pavement repair (e.g., grinding and repaving), and pre-leveling. TIB is awarding a grant of $90,000 for street maintenance.
Each project effort will be implemented strategically to minimize impacts to city residents on targeted city streets.
Deputy Public Works Director, Andi Zontek-Backstrum, is playing a crucial role in collaborating with TIB and targeting priority infrastructure projects for the City. “The funding we received from TIB to address deficiencies in our roadway system is unprecedented. This is an incredible opportunity to start implementing our new Pavement Preservation Program and to show the community that we are poised to address our infrastructure needs across the City,” says Zontek-Backstrum.
The funding received from TIB addresses streets that are in good condition or showing signs of moderate distress; it does not address streets that are degraded beyond repair. For streets that have degraded beyond repair, full-depth reconstruction will be required. Concurrently, many of the deteriorated streets also contain underground domestic water, sanitary sewer, and stormwater systems that need replacement. City staff are currently developing an Integrated Capital Improvement Program to systematically replace all underground utilities while roadway reconstruction occurs.
Learn more about the Washington State Transportation Improvement Board (TIB).
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