More lanes, 2 new roundabouts among West Powerhouse Road recommendations

West Powerhouse Road could get a new right-turn lane onto North 40th Avenue and two new roundabouts under a series of recommendations released this past week by transportation officials.

A yearlong study to improve the West Powerhouse Road corridor in the northwest Yakima and Gleed area identified multiple ideas to improve vehicle, bicycle and pedestrian traffic.

The recommendations include short-term improvements to the Ackley/Powerhouse/U.S. Highway 12 intersection, eventually adding roundabouts to two intersections and widening Powerhouse Road to three lanes all the way to its intersection with U.S. 12 and Old Naches Highway.

Washington State Department of Transportation officials released the recommendations Thursday following a lengthy study and community surveys conducted jointly with the city of Yakima and Yakima County.

“This was three different entities with three different funding mechanisms, jurisdictions and goals having to cooperate on this process,” WSDOT planning engineer Paul Gonseth said. “I think we did a really good job coming together and working with the public to generate these solutions.”

Short-term solutions

• Additional stop signs, turning lanes and acceleration/decelerations lanes on Ackley, Powerhouse and U.S. 12.
• Eastbound right-turn lane on West Powerhouse Road onto southbound 40th Avenue.
• Continue conversion of converting West Powerhouse Road into a three-lane roadway from where it currently ends to the intersection of U.S. 12 and Old Naches Highway.

Long-term solutions

• Roundabout at West Powerhouse and Ackley Road intersection.
• Change traffic signal to a roundabout at U.S. 12/Old Naches Highway intersection.
• Replace West Powerhouse Road bridge over Cowiche Creek.
• Replace U.S. 12 bridge over Cowiche Creek.

Biking and pedestrians

• Extend William O. Douglas Trail from 40th Avenue/Fruitvale Boulevard intersection to West Powerhouse Road/Cowiche Canyon Road intersection.
• Complete remaining section of William O. Douglas Trail along Lower Cowiche Creek from West Powerhouse Road vicinity to existing east trailhead of Cowiche Canyon Conservancy.
• Complete bicycle lane connections to 40th Avenue on West Powerhouse Road and River Road.

In its announcement, WSDOT said more analysis is needed by state, county and city officials to determine the funding, scheduling and priority of these improvements.

The 2.5-mile stretch of Powerhouse Road from the Old Naches Highway/U.S. 12 intersection in Gleed to the 40th Avenue intersection near Fred Meyer in Yakima is a rural, two-lane road that has seen major increases in traffic and surrounding development in the past 20-plus years, WSDOT spokesperson Summer Derrey said. There have been no major upgrades to the corridor in recent memory.

WSDOT’s most recent traffic counts from 2020 show average daily traffic volume of 19,000 vehicles on U.S. 12 between the Ackley Road intersection and the 40th Avenue interchange. Derrey noted that 2020 traffic volumes are likely lower than current levels due to the impact of COVID-19 restrictions during most of the year.

An estimated 24,000 vehicles went through the 40th Avenue intersections with Fruitvale Boulevard and West Powerhouse Road each day in 2021, according to WSDOT statistics, with 10,000 vehicles observed each day on Powerhouse at 40th Avenue and about 7,500 vehicles daily at Pecks Canyon Road.

In July 2021, WSDOT asked Yakima-area residents to participate in an online survey to provide input on West Powerhouse Road and surrounding areas.

More than 1,000 responses were collected, and a significant majority of respondents said improving Powerhouse Road for cars and improving its intersections were the most important priorities. Space for pedestrians and bicycles also received significant support.

The cost of solutions for upgrading most or all of West Powerhouse Road to a three-lane road with curb, gutter, sidewalk and bike lanes ranges from $6.1 million to $9 million, and one- or two-lane roundabouts at various intersections in the area have cost estimates between $510,000 and $5.9 million.