In case you missed the news from last week, it looks like Benton County is looking to build a new animal shelter in Kennewick in the area of Quinault Avenue and Canal Drive. According to the reports, the city and county have already begun the permitting process so the county can build on land it already owns in that area. It sounds like it could be a couple months before final approval is given to start the project.
Assuming KEPR-TV has their info correct, the city of Kennewick is planning to add a left-turn lane right outside Kamiakin High School — at Edison and Metaline. From Twitter:
We used to live right in that area, back when we first moved to the Tri-Cities. And it was always pretty scary (especially turning from Metaline left onto Edison). But whichever way you’re going, it was always the worst during busy morning/afternoon school transportation hours with all the buses going in and out.
Good move to add a turn lane there. Much needed.
Okay, this is kinda geeky … but also pretty cool. The city has recently added a “Virtual Kennewick” mapping tool to the city web site. You can access it here.
The tool presents information from a GIS database, and users can see a variety of city data online — often the kind of stuff you’d have to visit the city offices and spend a lot of time researching in person. You can see community resources (like government offices, theaters, USPS, libraries, etc.), zoning designations across the city, the locations of various city utilities (sewer system, water, etc.), and here’s a screenshot that shows the city’s land use plan (red is Commercial, for example).
The city explains the tool’s benefits this way:
The GIS database is a spatial model of City facilities in the “real” world. Complex data relationships can be presented using geographical representations, or maps. Maps provide a “picture” of those relationships that is easier to understand. Better understanding of the complex data presented in running a City allows for improved decision making, provides more efficient work efforts, and establishes cost savings for the City and it’s constituents.
On top of all that, it’s just kinda fun to check out.
Like them or not — and apparently a lot of folks are in the “not” category — the new roundabouts just south of the Blue Bridge in Kennewick seem to be doing exactly what they’re supposed to be doing: cutting down on the number of traffic incidents.
According to this article, in the first 16 days after the project officially ended, there were only two collisions. In the same 16-day period last year, there were seven.
Small time sample there, but good news nonetheless.
If you’ve been driving (or living) in the area, this is old news by now: Some sections of Fourth Avenue are closed today due to paving work in the area. The closures will continue tomorrow and again on Monday.
The paving starts at 7 a.m. each day and covers Fourth Avenue between Edison and Union streets. Traffic will not be allowed to cross the new pavement to enter or leave driveways and intersections for up to an hour at a time, according to the city.