Ogden has been fighting the project for years and, while it looks like he is losing the battle, he’s not ready to give up just yet. Transportation officials originally planned to take 40 feet of Dan’s Tractor property through eminent domain, in order to make room for the expanded highway. Although Ogden was able to negotiate to keep 10 feet, he said he will have to move much of the equipment now showcased in front of his business to a warehouse.
If Ogden is still steamed about losing his land, he’s also worried about other changes that are coming. Two years of construction delays will keep customers away in the short- and medium-term, he said. And the planned median, which will only have a handful of gaps for cars turning left, will make it impossible for westbound travelers from Battle Ground to easily access businesses on the south side of the highway.
Kyle Thorson, owner of Kyle’s Auto Electric at Northeast Rodda and SR-502, is also worried about that median, which Washington State Department of Transportation officials said will make the highway safer.
“When they put the median in, it will cut off access to my business,” Thorson explained.
People coming from Battle Ground will have to drive past Kyle’s Auto Electric – slightly west of Northeast 72nd – and continue to Northeast 50th, will have to U-turn and drive the same 20 blocks back to access the shop, Thorson said.
Like Ogden, Thorson said he feels that business concerns were not given adequate consideration during public review of project.
“You go to community meetings and they say, this is how it’s going to be,” he said. “They say live with it, and we are. But that’s not right.”
Troy Koskiniemi was so concerned about the impact of construction on his company, TK Graphics, that he moved away from State Route 502 in September. He was worried that dust kicked up during construction would be hard on his equipment and would affect the quality of graphic products he produced. He also thinks that a median will harm businesses south of the highway, even as it opens up new opportunities to the north.
“All the current businesses from Battle Ground out to the freeway are going to suffer,” Koskiniemi said.
Ogden said he’s not ready to give up just yet. The project is already a year behind schedule, and he hopes to persuade transportation officials or politicians to nix plans for a median before it’s too late.
“They may say this road is not for businesses any more, it’s to get people from I-5 to Battle Ground in North Clark County,” Ogden said. “I say, never stop fighting.”
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