Going around again? Ephrata may get third RAB in 2028

EPHRATA – Ephrata may get its third highway roundabout – this one at the north end of town – by year 2028, city officials were told Wednesday night.

Now in its early planning stages, input is being sought on the project, particularly in regard to pedestrian and bicycle access, said Daniel Turner, a multi-modal planner with the Washington State Department of Transportation’s North Central Regional Office in Wenatchee.

Turner told council members and city staff that WSDOT is looking to construct a roundabout at the intersection of State Route 28 and North Alder Street/Road B-NW. The project has received initial funding and design work is scheduled to start in 2026, he said.

The city was “a little surprised” to hear about the project, said Mayor Bruce Reim, but he appreciated the “heads up” and Turner’s stated intention to meet with city staff for further discussions.

Ephrata’s first highway roundabout arrived in 2019 at the intersection of State Route 282 and Dodson Road/A Street S.E.

A second one – primarily led by Grant County in connection with its new jail construction project – was completed last month at the junction of SR 282 and Nat Washington Way.

Transportation officials say roundabouts are an efficient way to move high-volume, multi-directional traffic while lowering speeds and significantly reducing collisions, particularly injury and fatality wrecks.

Such collisions have occurred through the years at the Highway 28 intersection with North Alder Street and Road B-NW.

Turner said the project is in a “conceptual stage right now,” and WSDOT is interested in learning more about pedestrian and bicycle usage in the converging travel corridor.

“We have no idea how many pass through this intersection,” Turner acknowledged. But he said any design plans would reflect a safety emphasis on separating bikes and pedestrians from motorized traffic.

Turner made reference to the “Complete Streets” program requirement approved in 2022 by state lawmakers. It directs WSDOT to “improve the safety, mobility and accessibility” of state highways to local networks with facilities that provide “street access with all users in mind, including pedestrians, bicyclists and public transportation users.”

That integration process is directed at state transportation projects estimated at $500,000 or more for design work that began between July 2022-2025, or $1 million or more if starting design on Aug. 1 of this year or later.

In other agenda business Wednesday night, Ephrata council members:

-- Agreed to pay a $500-per-month stipend to city administrator Ray Towry for use of a personal vehicle for work-related purposes beginning in 2026.

The council unanimously approved amending Towry’s employment agreement with the city to add the stipend payment. City attorney Anna Franz said Towry’s base salary remains unchanged at $162,742 annually.

The agreement does not preclude Towry’s use of city vehicles for business purposes, too.