ILWACO — City councilors late last month voted to move ahead with a mostly state-funded project that will see the streets of Ilwaco receive extensive repairs.

At its May 27 meeting, the Ilwaco City Council unanimously voted to authorize Mayor Mike Cassinelli to complete the necessary paperwork to go out for bid for a project that the city is slated to receive funding from via a Washington State Transportation Improvement Board (TIB) program.

The project, which calls for pavement improvements to approximately five miles of city streets, carries a total projected cost of about $1.54 million. TIB is contributing some $1.45 million, while Ilwaco is chipping in $81,578 in needed matching funds.

TIB’s support for the project comes via its Red Town Initiative, which provides street maintenance assistance to cities and towns with a population under 5,000. The “red town” alludes to TIB’s online dashboard that marks cities with a red indicator light when their pavement condition is far below the statewide average.

Funding for the project was first announced last fall and clocked in at just under $1.5 million, with TIB initially contributing $1.425 million and Ilwaco providing $75,000 — which would come out of the city’s Real Estate Excise Tax fund.

The additional $6,578 in matching funds, according to Ilwaco City Administrator Holly Beller, is due to TIB not considering surveying completed by Gray & Osborne, the city’s contracted engineering firm, as qualified engineering work. Councilors questioned TIB’s decision, but did not believe the additional costs being borne by the city should hold up a project that they are otherwise fully supportive of.

“While I’m frustrated with TIB’s decision that surveying wasn’t considered necessary engineering work, I’m fully in support of absorbing that cost as it’s absolutely critical to move the project forward,” said Councilor Matt Lessnau.

Most of the work on streets will include a single or double layer of chip sealing, a pavement surface treatment that involves spraying a thin layer of heated asphalt liquid on the road surface that is combined with the placement and compression of small aggregate — “chips” — and meant to fill small cracks and protect the pavement from the effects of sun and water.

Roads that are slated to receive repairs to their street surface include First Avenue South, Howerton Avenue, Pearl Avenue SE, Advent Avenue SE and NE, Main Street SW and SE, Lake Street SW and SE, Williams Avenue SE and NE, Myrtle Avenue SE and NE, Quaker Avenue SE and NE, Elizabeth Avenue NE, Eliza Avenue SE and NE, Mary Ann Avenue SE, Spruce Street East, Cooks Road, Iris Avenue NE, Willow Street, Hemlock Street NE, Cedar Street NE, Fir Street NE, Quaker Avenue NE, Klahanee Drive SW, Reservoir Road, Provo Street NE, Lakeview Drive, Stringtown Road, Captain Gray Drive, Chattam Way, Redwing Way, Rochelle Way, Delta Way, Glenmorag Way, Ortelius Drive, and Scarboro Lane North.

Along with chip sealing, some roads will also be graveled or pulverized as part of the process to treat the surface. Pulverization happens when surfaces are too damaged to fill, seal or make other spot repairs.

Councilor Dave Cundiff noted that Hemlock Street is slated for pulverization and chip-seal, and asked whether crews will be able to pulverize as far down as some potholes on the street are — hinting at just how damaged the street is.

“Other than Stringtown, I think we have nothing more embarrassing than the block of Hemlock Street between Brumbach and Advent — the potholes are getting close to where they could swallow a Volkswagen,” said Cundiff. “I’d like us to make sure that when we’re done, it’s engineered right.

“I think this is overall an exciting project,” he added. “I have been embarrassed by the conditions of the streets, and this looks to be well-targeted to the worst streets.”