City details 2025 construction plan; Meadow Lane/Highway 195 safety redesign prioritized

City staff outlined major street, water and pedestrian projects planned or completed in 2025 and explained a targeted safety redesign at the Highway 195/Meadow Lane intersection.

Dan Buller reviewed a broad slate of completed and carryover projects—grind overlays on Washington and Stevens through downtown, Sprague and Broadway work (with some carryover because of a strike), a Freya full rebuild tied to water‑main replacement and new bike path, sewer work, booster‑station projects, and a wide set of pedestrian and traffic‑calming investments. He noted several projects that will be advertised or bid in the coming year and several that will require night work because of temperature constraints.

Buller highlighted the Highway 195/Meadow Lane work as a safety priority. Instead of a full new intersection (a roughly $40 million project), staff proposed a realignment that introduces a J‑turn movement for southbound traffic and an acceleration lane from Eagle Ridge to improve crossings and reduce conflict points. He said the change reduces the number of crossing lanes and creates a dedicated acceleration lane without the cost of a full intersection reconstruction.

The presentation closed with a comprehensive list of citywide chip seal, grama/overlay, CIPP sewer lining, bridge deck overlays and a multi‑phase Fishlake Trail connection project. Council members asked whether developer or WSDOT agreements had conditioned related neighborhood projects; staff confirmed several projects were tied to WSDOT funding and developer conditions.

Next steps: staff will proceed with advertised projects and return with project‑specific schedules and funding details as bids and contracts develop.