WENATCHEE - Three new road projects get under way this week in Okanogan County.
     The state Department of Transportation, Wenatchee, said the first calls for improvements to message signs, signals and cameras in the Omak and Oroville areas.
     Motorists can expect delays from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday as crews build a traffic signal system, including advanced warning beacons, at the junction of U.S. Highway 97 at state Highway 155.
     In the $613,000 project, McCandlish Electric also will install traffic monitoring equipment, variable message signs and two traffic cameras between Oroville and the border.
     Work should be complete by mid-August.
     The second project calls for shoulder closures and occasional 20-minute delays while crews install new signs on U.S. Highway 97 at Pateros. Motorists can expect alternating, flagger-controlled traffic.
     In the third project, Granite Northwest crews will build a new left-turn pocket for northbound traffic at the intersection of Pine Creek Road and U.S. Highway 97 about 10 miles south of Tonasket.
     Ongoing projects include:
     - Janis bridge deck repair on U.S. Highway 97 south of Tonasket. Through traffic will be routed onto county Highway 7.
     Concrete Barrier Co. is doing the $403,000 project, which should be done by the end of July.
     - Chip sealing on state Highway 20 west of Okanogan, and on streets in Nespelem, Elmer City and Coulee Dam.
     - Guidepost installation on state Highway 153 between Methow and Twisp.
     - Guidepost and plastic pavement marking installation on state Highway 20 east of Tonasket.
     - Guardrail, guidepost and plastic pavement marking installation on state Highway 20 between Twisp and Okanogan.
     - Guidepost installation on state Highway 20 between Winthrop to Mazama.
     - Chip sealing on 15 miles of state Highway 20 from Winthrop west, six miles of state Highway 20 from Okanogan south, eight miles of state Highway 20 five miles east of Tonasket, 23 miles of state Highway 153 from Methow north, 33 miles of state Highway 155 from Coulee Dam west, 14 city streets in Coulee Dam, Elmer City and Tonasket, plus guardrail and hazard removal work between Mazama and the Aeneas Valley.