Keslo City Council ~ November 18, 2025
Kelso ~ In the November 18, 2025, meeting, the Kelso City Council was presented with the final 800-page Allen Street Corridor Study.
The study noted challenges such as high traffic volumes, short spacing, and future congestion. The Washington State Department of Transportation’s (WSDOT) primary focus is on safely moving motorized and non-motorized modes of transportation through the I-5, Allen Street, and Minor Road interchange area, and on addressing increased needs in the retail and school areas for at least the next 20 years.
In 2022, the Washington State Legislature passed Senate Bill 5974 (SB 5974), which added a Complete Streets requirement to the Revised Code of Washington (RCW) 47.04.035. All state transportation projects
beginning design on or after July 1, 2022, with a budget of $500,000 or more are required to comply with the Complete Street Requirements.
In line with WSDOT priorities, a Complete Streets approach was used to develop the design concepts for Allen Street.
Upon listening to the presentation, Council Member Lisa Alexander mentioned that roundabouts are the least favorite option, but it soon became clear that, although the community is not enthused about them, they are what WSDOT is most likely to fund.
It was mentioned that WSDOT was against the Signal Enhancement Option because it didn’t improve safety, especially for pedestrians. Also, WSDOT is not on board with the Single Point Interchange (basically one big light under the freeway directing all traffic), because it is expensive and didn’t reduce congestion enough.
The Roundabouts are not a done deal yet, as the steep hills and rights-of-way obstacles are yet to be determined.
The next step for the City Council is to officially adopt the study, which is on the December 4, 2025, agenda as council business. Once it’s adopted, they could begin securing funding, a process that could take several years.
The project study area extends along Allen Street from 8th Avenue at the high school to Tam O’Shanter Park. Construction would likely be in three phases and could last 10 to 15 years or more.
The fourth option is to do nothing, but it was brought up that traffic backups and safety for kids going back and forth to school are already an issue, and one could only guess what it would be like in 20 years.
