City of Wenatchee’s MegaKittrick Project wins 2025 APWA Project of the Year Award

WENATCHEE — The City of Wenatchee’s MegaKittrick project has received the 2025 Project of the Year Award from the American Public Works Association (APWA) in the Transportation Small Agency category for projects between $5 million and $25 million.

Formally known as the “McKittrick Street - North Wenatchee Avenue to BNSF Project,” MegaKittrick consolidated three federally funded projects into a single effort aimed at improving safety, boosting regional economic development, and laying the foundation for a future gateway to the Columbia River waterfront. Project elements included a new traffic signal, pedestrian and median improvements, and initial construction work for a future railway underpass.

The City of Wenatchee managed the project with J&K Earthworks serving as the primary contractor and Psomas as the primary consultant. The project was completed in November 2024.

The MegaKittrick project team faced a series of challenges during construction, including the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, material cost escalations, evolving guidelines under the Build America Buy America (BABA) Infrastructure Law, deep sewer trench installations between businesses, heavy traffic volumes exceeding 40,000 vehicles per day, contaminated soils, and supply chain disruptions.

The project emphasized community engagement and safety throughout its development. Business access was maintained during construction, and most work was completed at night or outside of business hours. Safety measures included adaptive traffic control methods, detailed phasing plans, and the use of haul routes to protect workers and the public.

The MegaKittrick project also introduced urban design elements that enhance the sense of place in Wenatchee. Banners designed by local artist Heather Dappen, inspired by the rivers, mountains, and cultural heritage of Central Washington, were installed along the corridor to celebrate the region’s history and community spirit.

The project team utilized several innovative management strategies, including combining three separate projects into a unified construction package, implementing advanced GPS machine grade control systems, and developing a winter suspension plan when material delivery delays occurred.

"McKittrick was a large and complex project but it was also one of the most well orchestrated projects I have ever seen from the owner's side. I cannot speak highly enough about the teamwork and willingness we encountered with the City staff and the engineers. Kuddos to all!" said Kurt Davis, owner of J&K Earthworks.

The MegaKittrick project also achieved significant environmental and sustainability milestones, including the use of recycled asphalt pavement, LED lighting installations to support dark sky initiatives, and the addition of multimodal infrastructure such as bike lanes and improved transit stops to encourage greener transportation options.

More information about the project can be found at www.wenatcheewa.gov under "News."