Sometimes when I’m driving through Toppenish, I get a little worried that someone driving on the road will hit me. After all, we constantly see reports of deadly crashes along parts of SR-22.

A new $1.5M grant from the Department of Transportation aims to fix it. Senator Cantwell wrote a congressional letter of support for the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant program she created.

How the $1.5M Upgrade Aims to Prevent Fatal Crashes in Toppenish

State Route 22, spanning from Track Road to Asotin Avenue and Washington Avenue, is considered the highest priority for “unfunded high-injury network locations” identified by the Senate Finance Committee.

The City of Toppenish will receive $1,494,902 for the following projects:

• Install concrete center medians
• Create high-visibility crosswalks and pedestrian crossings
• Add railroad-specific signing and pavement markings
• Provide pavement and striping improvements
• Build an emergency signal on Buena Way at the Yakima County Fire District 5 Station 9

Senator Cantwell says the slated improvements will “address speeding, nighttime visibility, unsafe turning movements, and queue-jumping near the BNSF rail crossing.”

Once these improvements have been made, we can start feeling a lot safer driving along State Route 22, I know I will!

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The Safe Streets and Roads for All program will also fund over 23 million dollars for road safety upgrades for the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community, cities of Seattle and Bellingham, Island County, and fire districts in Clark and Snohomish counties.