TONASKET – A trio of roads in Okanogan County will be repaved this spring, to extend their service life.
The project will preserve the pavement and provide a smoother ride for travelers, as well as complete some “unfinished business” dating back to last year.
Contractor crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation will:
- Remove and replace asphalt on a 15-mile stretch of US 97 between Omak and Tonasket (mileposts 286 to 301).
- Complete chip seal work on a section of State Route 20 east of Tonasket.
This $12.5 million project has three parts; the first finished in the fall of 2023, on SR 971 near Chelan.
One part of the remaining work will remove and replace asphalt on a 15-mile stretch of US 97 between Omak and Tonasket (mileposts 286 to 301). Work is scheduled to start May 1 and be complete in August, includes installing rumble strips and traffic markings, as well as building walking and bike paths, near the intersection of US 97 and Dayton Street in Omak.
The other part of this project started last year on State Route 20 east of Tonasket between mileposts 266 to 274. Work includes chip seal, installing traffic markings, and replacing guideposts. The contractor finished approximately half the planned work before cold weather shut down the project for the 2023 construction season. The remaining work is scheduled to start June 3 and last 10 working days.
More work near Tonasket
In addition, a separate Tonasket-area project will start around the same time. The SR 20 contractor will resurface an 11-mile stretch of US 97 with chip seal, from mileposts 315 to 326, just south of Oroville, starting around June.
Travelers should expect single-lane closures throughout the duration of each of the projects, with flagger-controlled traffic and a pilot car.
“These sections of highway have reached their life cycle and need to be resurfaced before more deterioration occurs requiring additional repair work,” WSDOT Project Engineer Miguel Castillo said. “This is the best ‘bang for the buck,’ since the highway has gone as long as it can before needing work.”
Travelers can keep track of theses traffic delays by visiting our real-time travel map as the date of the start of the project approaches.