Clark County outlines summer road, intersection and park projects; warns drivers to slow in work zones

Clark County Engineer Jeremy Provenzola said Clark County Public Works will treat more than 100 lane miles of roads this summer — about 75 miles using county crews — and outlined a multi-year effort to upgrade the Northeast 170th Street corridor, while urging drivers to slow down and watch for work zones.

Provenzola, who has served as Clark County engineer since his appointment by the county council last November, said the “core” corridor work from Delfel over to the WSDOT interchange will take about five to six years, with work continuing along the corridor beyond that. This summer, he said, drivers will see work at the intersection identified in the interview as “A Hundred And 70 Ninth and 20 Ninth,” where the county plans to replace a stop-controlled intersection with a full roundabout, replace a couple of bridges and do utility work that could take about two years.

The county maintains more than 2,300 lane miles of roads, Provenzola said. He described summer as the prime season for asphalt treatments and said county crews and contractors will carry out the bulk of the work: “This summer … we’re going to be treating over a 100 lane miles of roads. Some of those are with contractors, but about 75 miles that is gonna be performed by county forces,” he said.

Why it matters: the projects are intended to improve safety and support planned and ongoing growth in parts of the county. Provenzola cited an increase in work-zone collisions statewide in 2024 and named speed as a frequent contributing factor. “Whatever a driver may think they gain from an extra 5 or 10 miles per hour is not worth the risk,” he said, urging motorists to slow down near crews.

Other transportation improvements he highlighted include countywide signal upgrades, nearly 200 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ramp upgrades, pedestrian-safety work near Heritage High School, transportation safety work on Northeast A 150 Second Avenue by York Elementary School, and signing and striping near Skyview, Alki and Chinook schools.

Provenzola also described non-transportation projects that Public Works supports for partner divisions this summer: development of Curtain Creek Community Park behind a fire station on Northeast 70 Second Avenue, including trails, pickleball courts and playground facilities; a large wetland restoration at Heritage Farm along Kruger Creek Headlands led by the Clean Water group in partnership with Parks; and replacement of railroad ties and related work along the County Road Railroad.

On funding, Provenzola provided a rough breakdown he said varies year to year: about 10% from the motor vehicle fuel tax, about 60% from a variety of property-tax sources, and the remaining roughly 30% from miscellaneous resources and grants. He said revenue sources are “not sustainable long term without some pretty serious adjustments,” citing lower fuel-tax revenue as vehicles become more fuel-efficient and uncertainty around federal grant availability.

For updates on closures and construction impacts, Provenzola said residents should not rely on mapping apps for county construction impacts; instead, he recommended the county’s public-works page at clark.wa.gov/public-works, where the county posts impacts and where residents can sign up for email alerts. He also gave a public-works phone number: (564) 397-2446.

Provenzola characterized the engineering office’s role as overseeing construction and maintenance of the county road system and administration of the county road fund; Clark County Public Works teams of nearly 200 staff — including engineers, project managers, equipment operators and real-estate staff — carry out those duties.

No formal votes or council actions were reported in this interview. The projects Provenzola discussed include planned multi-year and seasonal work; specific contractor schedules, individual project budgets and detailed timelines beyond the broad estimates given were not specified in the interview.