WASHOUGAL — A portion of Shepherd Highway will probably be widened due to a $3.4 million grant. The work will make room for on-street parking, a shared-use path and improved entry to Sandy Swimming Gap.
The Washington State Transportation Enchancment Board awarded the grant to town of Washougal, which can contribute $868,000 to finish the $4.3 million mission. Venture design will start in early 2025, with building beginning within the first half of 2026.
“The issues that we have on Shepherd span multiple departments, not only just engineering, but police, code enforcement, public works and operations staff,” metropolis engineer Scott Collins stated. “I think this project will have a major impact, not only on the Sandy Swimming Hole itself but the neighborhoods around it.”
“This is a significant safety project for Shepherd Road, but it’s also a parks enhancement if you think about it, because it’s essentially taking care of a safety issue in and around the Sandy Swimming Hole,” Metropolis Supervisor David Scott stated in the course of the Washougal Metropolis Council’s Dec. 2 assembly. “It’s not a 100 percent perfect solution — that would require a big parking lot on property that we would acquire. But this will go a long way to really helping that situation. It’s a great project.”
Shepherd Highway is 2 lanes between Washougal River Highway and Northeast Third Avenue. Halfway alongside the stretch of highway between North twelfth Avenue and Fourth Courtroom sits Sandy Swimming Gap, a well-liked summer season vacation spot for outside lovers. Entry to the park is off Shepherd Highway, and the prevailing parking zone has solely about 20 areas.
The encircling space lacks sidewalks and bike connections and infrequently attracts guests who park illegally within the roadway or within the surrounding neighborhoods.
“That’s a fairly significant corridor. It’s an old county road. It doesn’t have sidewalks. Even in non-swim season, there are people that jog and walk,” Scott stated.
The enhancements, which can prolong from Washougal River Highway on the east to Lebrun Drive on the west, will embrace traffic-calming measures and a raised crosswalk to supply pedestrians entry to the park.
“If there’s no parking, people can park along most of the north side of Shepherd. It will likely be parallel parking along the curb,” Collins stated. “There will be a shared-use path that’ll be wide enough to accommodate both bicycles and pedestrians. … It should provide safe access to pedestrians that want to get into the Sandy Swimming Hole.”
Collins stated town has obtained complaints about rushing and parking from residents round Sandy Swimming Gap.
Collins stated the highway will most certainly be open a method throughout building, and town will talk with Shepherd Highway residents and leaders of Riverside Christian Faculty, 463 N. Shepherd Highway, about its plans.
Councilwoman Michelle Wagner stated she has advocated for the mission up to now however felt that different council members didn’t prioritize it as a lot as a result of perception that “out-of-staters” can be the first beneficiaries.