WSDOT plans safety work on SR 4, SR 401

The Washington State Department of Transportation has awarded a contract for improvements to highways SR 4 and SR 401 this summer.

The project will make safety improvements to the highway corridors in Pacific, Wahkiakum, and Cowlitz counties. The department has planned the improvements to reduce the severity of collisions where motorists have driven off the roadway. Improvements will include installing guardrail, removing fixed objects, widening shoulders, flattening slopes, traffic control and other work.

The SR 401 improvements will begin where US Highway 101 meets SR 401 near Knappton and end at the northern point of SR 401 in Naselle where the state route meets SR 4.

The SR 4 improvements will begin where the roadway meets US Highway 101, near Johnsons Landing in Pacific County. The improvements will go east through Wahkiakum and Cowlitz counties, ending where the roadway meets State Route 432 in Kelso.

The department opened bids for the project on April 8and awarded the contract to the low bidder on April 13.

Apparent low bidder was Petersen Brothers, Inc. at $265,995. Second low bidder was DLB Earthwork Co., $270,014.30, and third low bidder was Big River Construction, Inc, $276,359.11.

The department engineer's estimate was $338,765.