There will be another traffic hangup popping up starting Tuesday in Spokane Valley, but a second traffic issue will go away. The eastbound lane of Mission at the Flora roundabout will be closed Tuesday through Friday for sidewalk ramp work. Traffic will be detoured down Boone and Long.

Sprague Avenue has been down to one lane in each direction at Custer Road and that project is expected to wrap up by noon Tuesday. Crews have been doing utility and signal upgrades.

Tonight's Spokane Valley City Council meeting doesn't look terribly busy, but there are some interesting items on the agenda for discussion. There will be a presentation on Spokane River trails and improvements as well as discussions on a proposed street preservation project on Evergreen from 16th to 32nd and on 32nd from Evergreen to Best Road. The council will also discuss whether or not to add several capital projects to the 2012 budget. The meeting begins at 6 p.m. at City Hall, 11707 E. Sprague.

Reporter Tom Sowa has information here on the closure of the last Old Country Buffet locations in the region in Spokane on North Division and in Spokane Valley at Sprague and Pines. The parent company declared bankruptcy last week and both restaurants shut down on Thursday. This, of course, leaves the strip mall at Sprague and Pines almost entirely vacant.

The city of Spokane Valley is shutting down some lanes at the intersection of Sprague and Pines for pavement repair work. The southbound curb lane on Pines and the westbound curb lane on Sprague will be closed through Friday. It could cause traffic problems during rush hour.

I realized there is still a lot of road work going on even though it's nearly October when I stumbled across a closed lane on Sprague Ave. at McDonald Road this morning. A check of this week's traffic update from the city of Spokane Valley shows a lot going on.

Work on Broadway is happening this week between Pines Road and University Road. There will be traffic lane and sidewalk closures during the week, so be prepared for delays if you drive this route. The intersection of 11th and Herald road will be closed until 5:30 p.m. today for storm water work. Detours will be in place and the intersection should reopen tomorrow. Evergreen Road between 16h and 24th will be completely closed Thursday and Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Drivers are asked to use McDonald Road instead. And of course crews are still hard at work on the I-90 widening project east of Sullivan.

Remember to watch for work crews and keep your speed down when going through work zones.

I got a surprise this morning on the way in to work when I discovered that southbound Pines is down to one lane at Sprague for work in the road. All traffic is being routed through the left turn lane, whether you are turning or not. The curb lane of eastbound Sprague is also closed, as is the curb lane of westbound Sprague. I'm not sure if this will last the entire day, but just be aware that the work is going on.

This is just a reminder that the City of Spokane Valley is hosting an open house Thursday night to give the public information on the upcoming Sprague and Sullivan intersection project. The event will be from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the Community Room at the Spokane Valley Mall.

The information presented will include a schedule for the various phases of the project, which will start in late July and last about five weeks. The entire intersection will be replaced with concrete. Sullivan Road will be reduced to one lane in each direction and restrictions on turning onto or from Indiana will change during the project. If you have questions, be sure to stop by.

A portion of the intersection at Sprague and Sullivan is shut down, which created long traffic delays yesterday. There was a gas leak under the intersection over the winter and Avista make quick repairs at the time. The utility company is now making permanent repairs to the concrete. The concrete has been poured and city engineers are now waiting for the concrete to cure before reopening the closed lanes. The intersection could be back to normal by this afternoon or may need another day to cure. Lab tests will be done today to check. So for right now, avoid the area if you can.

People talk all the time about how rural Spokane Valley used to be - full of orchards and farms. But it can be a hard thing to picture while driving down a major commerical and commuter corridor like Sullivan Road. This aerial view of the corner of Sprague and Sullivan looking north was taken in 1965. See which landmarks you can pick out.

Two accidents were just reported. A car hit a bus at Sprague and Sullivan and a car hit a cement truck on Sullivan two blocks south of Sprague. Plan to avoid that area while things get cleaned up.