East Wenatchee, Link Transit Coordinate 5th Street Improvements

The city of East Wenatchee and Link Transit are working together on improvements to 5th Street Northeast. 

The transit is contributing $95,000 to the city’s Safe Routes to School project, which is making upgrades to 5th Street.  

East Wenatchee Public Works Manager Garren Melton says the donation means upgrades to Link bus stops will be made simultaneously with the other improvements. 

"During a coordination meeting with Link, we identified a few opportunities to make their stops safer, help them meet their ADA requirements, and incorporate that into the project," said Melton during the most recent city council meeting. 

The council approved the agreement with Link at that time. 

The overall project includes new sidewalks and streetlights as well as improvements to pedestrian crossings in an area near several East Wenatchee schools. 

Melton says it makes sense to make all the improvements at the same time. 

"If they were to go in and do it after the fact, it would be likely a lot more than $100,000," Melton said. "And it all gets done at once and there's not additional disruptions on 5th Street." 

Link wants to relocate, upgrade, and add bus stops within the project area to better serve East Wenatchee residents.  

The city will make sure the upgrades are done, which includes bringing multiple existing stops into ADA compliance, relocating existing stops to safer and preferable locations, and adding infrastructure to accommodate possible future routes. 

The agreement between the city and Link also includes a small $5,000 contribution by the transit to the North Kentucky Ave design project to ensure that the design includes a review of existing stops and incorporates transit upgrades as needed.  

The city’s trying to line up funding for about $10 million in improvements on North Kentucky Ave. 

Active Construction Inc. of East Wenatchee was awarded the roughly $6.8 million contract to make the improvements to 5th Street Northeast.