Getting there: WSDOT will begin U.S. 395 project in Stevens County this summer, including pedestrian upgrades in Chewelah

U.S. Highway 395 will get easier to navigate in Chewelah for pedestrians and bicycles this summer following a paving and redesign project.

The Washington State Department of Transportation is on track to begin an improvement project on U.S. 395 in Chewelah and north of the town in Stevens County this summer.

With WSDOT’s $6.7 million project nearing a contract award, construction is expected to begin within the next month to rehabilitate a 5-mile stretch of U.S. 395 between Hafer Road and Sand Canyon Road north of Chewelah. The project will remove the old top layer of asphalt and lay down new asphalt to make the road smoother and more durable.

In addition, a 1-mile section through Chewelah will be upgraded to improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists. These improvements follow the state’s Complete Streets requirements, according to Shea Suski, WSDOT’s Complete Streets lead for the Eastern region.

“It’s on track to be the first Complete Streets project constructed by WSDOT since the legislation came out, and that’s not just in the Eastern region; that’s in the entire state,” Suski said.

The predesign phase started after the Washington Legislature passed Move Ahead Washington in 2022, Suski said, requiring WSDOT to incorporate Complete Streets principles in projects costing more than $500,000.

With input from the Chewelah City Council, the police department and community members, WSDOT pinpointed five crossing locations along the highway in Chewelah where rectangular flashing beacons will be added to enhance pedestrian safety and improve walkability. Pedestrian will be able to press buttons to get traffic to stop.

“Two of them are at the Lincoln Avenue crossing, because there’s a school crossing there. Also at the Safeway, at King Avenue, and at a Hico gas station on the south side of town we’re putting a crossing that doesn’t exist today,” Suski said.

Dennis Brown, the design lead for the project, also said after consulting with the community, they decided to incorporate speed reductions, lane narrowing traffic islands and chicanes, which are a feature that will add curves to the road. The changes are meant to help slow traffic.

“We had a lot of mock ups and sketches of what it might be like, but you never know until you bounce it off the community, so that was really helpful,” Brown said.

In addition to the roadwork, Suski said the project will bring a more connected and walkable feel to Chewelah, with buffered bike lanes running through town and sidewalk improvements.

This includes a new shared-use path along the west side of the highway just north of Lincoln Avenue.

“Once it’s done, I think the community is going to be happy with it,” Brown said.