Small town gets big bucks for major street improvements
WALLA WALLA, Wash. - Old stop lights are on their way out. Many around Walla Walla say they can't wait for it to be replaced.
Cheryl Thyken manages the store closest to the troubled intersection. She said,"You're just going along and all of the sudden, whoa, there's a light there. And, I didn't even know it was there."
The traffic lights she's talking about are on the side of the road and partially hidden behind some trees.
"Changing this is going to be huge. I've seen people nearly get killed. People as pedestrians will step out - I always joke, it's like living in New York where you don't want to step into traffic," she said.
Walla Walla got more than half a million dollars to update the Alder Street and First Street intersection with grants from the state. The outdated lights will be replaced with hanging signals. New crosswalks and modern crossing signals are also on the list. The city had to fight for the money.
Officials were told on 3 separate occassions that their project simply didn't meet the requirements necessary to acquire the grant funding.
Neal Chavre, Walla Walla's Principal Engineer said, "Through a lot of negotiation, they were very flexible and worked with us to try and really address a need that we thought was a really high priority."
It became a priority after people brought their concerns about safety and accidents to the city.
Cheryl Thyken said, "Sometimes the importance of getting people across the street safely is overlooked by other costs. I'm glad to see that there's going to be something done here."
She looks forward to an intersection in front of her store that won't remind her of New York.
Almost another half million dollars in grant money will go for sidewalks and crosswalks near the fairgrounds on Orchard Street.
Work is expected to start this summer.
Cheryl Thyken manages the store closest to the troubled intersection. She said,"You're just going along and all of the sudden, whoa, there's a light there. And, I didn't even know it was there."
The traffic lights she's talking about are on the side of the road and partially hidden behind some trees.
"Changing this is going to be huge. I've seen people nearly get killed. People as pedestrians will step out - I always joke, it's like living in New York where you don't want to step into traffic," she said.
Walla Walla got more than half a million dollars to update the Alder Street and First Street intersection with grants from the state. The outdated lights will be replaced with hanging signals. New crosswalks and modern crossing signals are also on the list. The city had to fight for the money.
Officials were told on 3 separate occassions that their project simply didn't meet the requirements necessary to acquire the grant funding.
Neal Chavre, Walla Walla's Principal Engineer said, "Through a lot of negotiation, they were very flexible and worked with us to try and really address a need that we thought was a really high priority."
It became a priority after people brought their concerns about safety and accidents to the city.
Cheryl Thyken said, "Sometimes the importance of getting people across the street safely is overlooked by other costs. I'm glad to see that there's going to be something done here."
She looks forward to an intersection in front of her store that won't remind her of New York.
Almost another half million dollars in grant money will go for sidewalks and crosswalks near the fairgrounds on Orchard Street.
Work is expected to start this summer.
