Ritzville Division, Smitty’s Bowman

A Confusing Intersection Gets a Makeover in Ritzville

Ritzville’s Division Street/Smitty’s Boulevard/Bauman Street intersection is located off the Interstate-90 off-ramp and is accessed by thousands of freeway travelers each year.

The existing intersection had design caused problems for the City. Its configuration confused drivers, didn’t direct vehicles towards Ritzville’s downtown area, caused vehicle and pedestrian safety issues, had drainage issues, and the roadways had severe pavement deterioration caused by poor underlying soils. 

Varela’s design team conducted a traffic evaluation that provided options for reconfiguring the intersection. This evaluation included the addition of pedestrian walkways, safety features, and construction of a park area with landscaped areas.

Varela worked with Ritzville elected officials and City staff to hold public meetings and meetings with landowners for selection of the final configuration. Varela also helped the City acquire the needed funding for design and construction of the improvements. Funding partners included Transportation Improvement Board, DWSRF, and City funds.

Project elements include:

• Realignment and reconstruction of two major City intersections
• Intersection design, channelization, and pedestrian safety improvements
• Realignment of Division Street to promote traffic flow toward downtown Ritzville
• Full-depth reconstruction of Division Street, Smitty’s Boulevard, and Bauman Street
• Coordination with business and public for access, traffic flow, pedestrian improvements, construction phasing and scheduling.
• Utility improvements including water, stormwater, and gas
• Construction of a community park area including architectural lighting improvements, city entry feature and sculpture, and community dining area
• Low-impact development stormwater improvements