Covington is preparing for a pair of projects, one that will bring overhead power lines underground which will then allow for another section of Southeast 272nd Street to be improved.
According to information provided by Karla Slate, community relations manager for the city, Puget Sound Energy’s existing overhead power lines will be replaced with an “underground distribution center” along Southeast 272nd.
The primary point, Slate said, that while this project “may be a nuisance” once completed Covington can start work that will “dramatically improve the area” near Jenkins Creek on state Route 516 that bottlenecks just west of the Covington Esplanade commercial plaza.
About 1,700 feet of lines will be moved underground starting near Southeast 174th and going east almost out to Jenkins Creek.
PSE will also install more conduits for future expansion of electrical circuitry.
This project has a price tag of more than $3 million, with $1.14 funded by a TIB grant with another $2 million appropriated by the state Legislature from federal funds.
“Minimal city funds will be needed to pay portions of the contract as the project is fully funded by grant funds,” according to documents provided by Slate. “Since the grants are on a reimbursable basis, city funds will be needed to cover costs until funds are received from the grant agencies. It is expected that the city would only need to cover about a two month period to allow for the funds to be received.”
Covington received 17 bids, with the winning bid for the work coming from Rodarte Construction, which was awarded the contract by the City Council on Oct. 27.
Work is expected to begin on that project before the end of this year.
Once work on that is complete, city officials can turn its focus to the next project, which will widen Southeast 272nd near Jenkins Creek.
Currently it is a two lane road through half of the city, the portion that runs east-west from the Maple Valley city limits up to Southeast Wax Road, where it widens to five lanes.
“The purpose of the project is to improve the level of service of the substandard roadway to accommodate current and future traffic volumes in the area,” the documents said. “This project will eliminate a critical pinch point in the system by widening the structure over the Jenkins Creek crossing. This critical project will spur future widening to make SR 516 a five lane roadway through the Covington city limits.”
This next project would widen SR 516 to five lanes heading east from Wax Road, over the Jenkins Creek Bridge to 185th Avenue Southeast, and would also widen portions of Wax Road to allow for improvements to channelization and sidewalks.
In addition, crews will prepare utilities to be placed underground, widen the road for U-turns and median breaks, improve drainage systems, widen the stream crossing of Jenkins Creek to allow the road to meet arterial standards as well as improve the culvert for salmon spawning, among other things.
