Road Warriors Project Coming To A Street Near You As Work Crews Shift Into High Gear
Spring driving - at last.
No more slush, chains or spin-outs. Just open windows, open roads and newly relaxed speed limits on federal highways.
But don’t set the cruise control just yet. Spring also means road projects, and the next flagman or “Abrupt Lane Edge” could be closer than the nearest roadkill.
Many projects are too small to get much attention. But they’re sure to make drivers late for work, doctors appointments or that first dinner with future in-laws.
“I’ve got a couple hundred miles of oil and gravel (to spread on roads) all over the place, throughout the region,” said Al Gilson, Eastern Washington spokesman for the state Department of Transportation. “And it’s a real mess.”
The oil and gravel is primarily for rural areas. But folks who drive in and around Spokane will be delayed by sewer and water projects, and annual street repairs and improvements.
Arterials where traffic will be restricted include Rambo Road on the West Plains, Sprague Avenue in the Spokane Valley, and Country Homes Boulevard and Hastings Road on the North Side.
South Hill residents already are feeling the pinch on their main route to downtown.
Since March 21, crews have pressed four lanes of traffic onto two lanes of asphalt as they replace a leaky water pipe under Grand Boulevard.
John Thompson, a city engineer, said the work should be done next week - not a minute too soon for commuters. “People are getting pretty annoyed,” said Sarah Jenkins, a clerk at the Baskin-Robbins on South Grand. “There’s been some near-misses.”
Some neighborhoods are growing used to the headaches.
It’s been nearly a year since county crews started digging under the Burlington Northern Railroad tracks, where Argonne Road eventually will cross. But Millwood residents can expect another summer of work before the underpass is completed this fall.
There’s a summer of work left to widen state Highway 270, which serves as Pullman’s Main Street, and two summers’ worth on Division Street in north Spokane. The state is widening Division from four lanes to six north of Wellesley Avenue.
A widening project that started last year on Day-Mount Spokane Road should be done in time for the apple harvest in Greenbluff, said county engineer Ross Kelly.
“I’d like to say it will be done in time for the cherries, but that’s not likely,” he said.
Here are some of the other major road projects planned for this spring and summer:
Interstate 90 from Four Lakes to Geiger Boulevard. Traffic will be reduced to a single lane in each direction as crews replace the old, rutted pavement.
U.S. Highway 2 in Airway Heights.
Crews last year added curbs and sidewalks to the eastbound lanes of the highway. This year, they’ll do the same to the westbound lanes, and repave the highway, said Gilson.
U.S. Highway 395 in Lincoln County. Crews are building an intersection at Paha-Packard Road and a new interchange connecting the highway with I-90.
U.S. Highway 395 north of Spokane.
The state is adding a left-turn lane at several intersections and a passing lane near Spotted Road in Spokane County. In Stevens County, crews will resurface the highway and widen the shoulders from Chewelah to Iron Mountain Road.
Nine Mile Road (state Highway 291) from Lowell Road to Nine Mile. Crews are adding a left-turn lane and laying new asphalt.
Harvard Road in the Spokane Valley.
Spokane County will start a two-year, $3.8 million project to replace the bridge over the Spokane River. The old bridge will remain in use, and traffic delays aren’t expected, said Kelly.
Six miles of state Highway 2 between Wilbur and Creston; seven miles of state Highway 27 from Mount Hope Road to Freeman in Spokane County; and eight miles of U.S. Highway 195 south of Colfax.
Each road is scheduled for resurfacing.
State Highway 23 north of Sprague and state Highway 27, south of Oaksdale.
Traffic will be detoured while crews replace bridges on both roads.
State Highway 20 in Stevens County.
In August, crews will start ripping up a six-mile section of pavement so they can put a new bed under this former wagon trail, said Gilson.
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