EMS traffic convergence: the roundabout, detour, bus plan
EPHRATA – City and school district officials are advising the public of a likely increase in traffic congestion around the Ephrata Middle School in the coming week as students return to classes at the same time construction continues on a new roundabout at the intersection of State Route 282 and Nat Washington Way.
The $3 million project – aimed at slowing vehicle speeds and improving safety for access to Grant County’s new jail site south of the highway – has blocked traffic between that intersection and the nearby roundabout at Dodson Road and A Street S.E.
A detour route has funneled traffic to and from the busy highway along Airport Street and Fifth Avenue S.E. up to Nat Washington Way at St. Rose of Lima School. From there, many drivers proceed down “hospital hill” to the A Street S.E. intersection, which abuts railroad tracks and leads to nearby Basin Street.
Even on a normal day, the Nat Washington/A Street/railroad tracks convergence is busy during morning and evening commuting hours, but the temporary highway closure and detour have significantly increased traffic congestion.
And now, Ephrata’s school start – with buses and parents dropping off and picking up kids in the mornings and afternoons at the middle school – will pile onto that. The school district has orientations scheduled this Monday and Tuesday, Aug. 25-26, with classes starting on Thursday, Aug. 28.
In social media posts, the district and city are advising the public, including parents of EMS students, to allow for extra travel time and expect temporary traffic changes to access the middle school until the highway roundabout is mostly finished. A completion date of Sept. 12 was initially announced, but there is cautious optimism the work could be done before then.
In the interim, Ephrata school buses going to the middle school campus will:
-- cross the overpass from South Basin Street onto A Street S.E.,
-- proceed north on A Street and turn right onto the gravel access road adjacent to the Ephrata Fire Station;
-- stage in the Splash Zone parking lot to load and unload students;
-- exit the lot by driving past the middle school entryway and turning left back onto A Street;
-- proceed south and return to the Dodson Road/SR 282 roundabout and overpass.
Parents taking their kids to the middle school are encouraged to follow the same loop route. During the 90-minute periods around the start and end of each school day, a flagger will be stationed at the A Street/Nat Washington Way intersection to assist with traffic flow.
Drivers will be able to access A Street at both its north and south ends, but anyone leaving the EMS campus will be required to turn left and proceed south – same as the bus route.
“This keeps traffic away from the already busy Nat Washington Way/A Street intersection before and after school … Your cooperation will help keep students, staff, and our community safe,” the school district said in its Facebook post.
After considering various scenarios, the traffic plan was developed following an Aug. 6 meeting involving school officials, city staff, Grant County Sheriff’s Office and county Central Services personnel, and a contractor representative.
Both Mayor Bruce Reim and county Central Services director Tom Gaines later expressed their appreciation for the collaborative effort.
While access to the middle school was the topic of heightened concern, motorists are asked to be aware of the pending start of all schools in town. With the prospect of increased vehicle traffic, bus operations, and children on foot and riding bicycles along city streets throughout the community, drivers should slow down, be cautious and patient, and yield rights-of-way to pedestrians.
