County Looks At Bids For University Road Widening Work Near Sprague To Begin In August

County engineers next week will review proposals to widen a portion of University Road.

Private contractors are bidding to complete the nearly $500,000 project, which will add lanes to University between Third and Main.

The road will be expanded to six lanes - two northbound, three southbound, with a turn lane in the middle - between Sprague and Third.

Between Sprague and Main, there will be five lanes - two northbound, two southbound and a middle turn lane.

The county hopes to award the contract in the next few weeks so construction can begin Aug. 1, said Gary Nelson of the engineer’s office.

The project will tie in with a major expansion of University undertaken about three years ago.

That project widened the previously two-lane road to five lanes from Fourth Avenue south to Dishman-Mica Road.

“This is simply a continuation of that project,” Nelson said.

Burgeoning traffic has made the improvements necessary, Nelson added.

Nearly 20,000 cars travel University each day, and that number is growing with each new home built in the Ponderosa and Midilome neighborhoods.

The owners of the University City Shopping Center are helping to pay for the latest improvements as part of a plan to expand the mall.

, DataTimes