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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Traffic On Indian Trail Road May Outpace Effect Of Widening In/Around: Indian Trail

Kelly Mcbride Staff Writer

By the time Indian Trail Road is expanded to four lanes, it may already be overburdened.

That was one of many revelations last week to residents of the neighborhood in the northwest corner of the city.

By 1998, engineers predict, the road may have as many as 22,250 cars a day on it. That’s about what a normal four-lane road can handle, said Dick Raymond of the city Public Works Department.

Currently about 14,700 cars a day travel over Indian Trail Road just north of Francis Avenue. Two-lane roads are designed to handle about 9,000 cars a day, said Bruce Steele, head of the city Traffic Department.

The Spokane Regional Traffic Council predicted that by 1998, the earliest a road-widening project could be completed, the number of vehicles will increase by 77 percent.

Steele said that will happen only if developers continue to build homes at the rapid pace they have been building.

“It’s an not absolute limit,” Steele said. “Look at it now. We’re way over what’s considered the maximum for a two-lane road, and it’s not like everything goes to pot on that road.”

In one of three workshops planned during a moratorium on new subdivisions in Indian Trail, more than 50 residents gathered last week to talk about traffic projections, the widening of Indian Trail Road and the future of public buses.

Many people left the meeting frustrated that growth still appeared to be progressing faster than the traffic improvements needed to handle more cars.

The City Council passed a sixmonth moratorium on new subdivisions Oct. 10 so planners and residents could devise plans to keep up with the growth.

Traffic was the biggest concern, with many intersections on Indian Trail Road already operating at substandard levels. Before the moratorium expires April 10, engineers hope to have secured the money to pay for widening the twolane arterial to four lanes and installing a center turn lane.

Hearing that Indian Trail could reach capacity by the time it is finally widened exasperated many residents.

Steele said widening Indian Trail beyond four lanes and a center turning lane is not realistic.

“After that, there’s not much we can do other than minor adjustments,” he said.

New roads extending to Nine Mile and to Five Mile will alleviate some traffic problems.

“Then we have to start focusing on public transit,” Steele said.

In the meantime, the traffic department is pushing an interim plan. Engineers want to stripe the current road for four lanes, between Francis and Kathleen avenues.

But residents are skeptical about that plan.

“Striping is such a minor BandAid approach, I don’t even think it’s worth talking about,” said Elmer Hilderman.

Residents were more excited about Steele’s plan to install a free right turn from Francis onto Indian Trail - no yield, no stoplights.

Then Steele said the intersection could not be redesigned any time before 1996.

“How are schoolkids going to get across if you have a free right turn,” asked Bob Olson.

Steele said pedestrians had not been considered yet in designing such an intersection.

“We would work with District 81 on the school issue,” Steele said.