Ribbon Cutting For New Work On 72nd Avenue Friday

Yakima city officials will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday to mark the completion of a road improvement project at the intersection of 72nd Avenue and Mead Avenue that improves safety for the neighborhood and students at two nearby schools. The ribbon cutting will happen at 11:00 a.m. at the southeast corner of the parking lot of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints located at 1414 S. 72nd Avenue. City officials say the improvements were made to help improve safety for students from West Valley Middle School and West Valley Junior High School, both of which are located a few blocks west of the intersection.
The improvements include widening 72nd Avenue, installing new traffic signals and turn lanes at the 72nd Avenue and Mead Avenue intersection, and constructing new curb, gutter, and sidewalk along the south side of Zier Road from 72nd Avenue to 75th Avenue. The work was funded by a $544,000 "Safe Routes to Schools” federal grant, which, when combined with $60,000 in City funds, paid for the $604,000 project.