Auburn gains grant for new guardrails
Published 5:34 pm Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Traffic Engineer James Webb might have a tough time topping one of his first accomplishments on the job: winning a grant that nets his employer a cool half-million dollars worth of city-wide guardrail improvements.
“If you tend to come with $500,000 grants whenever you come to this committee, come back more often. We encourage that,” an appreciative Nancy Backus, chair of the City’s Planning and Community Development Committee, recently told Webb, manager of Auburn’s Transportation Improvement Program.
“Cupcakes or cookies next time just isn’t going to cut it,” Backus said of the high bar Webb had set for himself.
The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) earlier this year awarded the City the $502,275 grant.
The grant, from WSDOT’s 2013 Quick Response Safety Program funds guardrail installation at the following locations:
• Green River Road Southeast along the west side of the road between the Auburn city limit to the north and 104th Avenue Southeast/Southeast 304th Way.
• R Street Southeast/Kersey Way Southeast along both sides of the road between the White River Bridge and 57th Street Southeast.
• Mountain View Drive Southwest along the south side of the road between West Valley Highway and 56th Avenue South.
City officials say the funds will help to advance planned public safety improvements to the city’s roadway system.
One thing the City can’t say is what the cost per foot will be to install the guardrails as that will depend on location, which varies widely.
Councilmembers last week voted to hold a hearing Monday about adding the grant-funded guardrails to the city’s Transportation Improvement Program or TIP.
The City will advertise for construction of the project Oct. 13.
