MLK Jr. Blvd. Closes for Construction
After a one day-delay, a section of Martin Luther King Junior Boulevard in Yakima is closed to traffic today.
A section of road between First Street and First Avenue will be closed for more than a year while crews build an underpass.
The underpass is designed to improve driver and pedestrian safety, and improve response times for police, fire and ambulance.
One driver says the closure drastically changes the route she takes when driving through the downtown area.
"It was pretty easy to get places if you know exactly where you're going," said Leeanna Robinett, "This is one of the popular streets to get you just about anywhere. I was thinking '[oh my],' traffic is already high on Yakima Avenue and this is just going to increase everything."
The project is expected to be complete by late summer of 2014.