Driscoll street repairs planned

The summer of street repairs and detours in northwest Spokane will continue in August and September under a $2.17 million paving contract for rebuilding and resurfacing Driscoll Boulevard, one of the most broken arterials in the city.

The Spokane City Council had the contract up for approval on Monday. Spokane Rock Products was the apparent low bidder. The company’s bid was $100,000 above an estimate from city engineers, but it beat out Inland Asphalt Co., Red Diamond Construction and Murphy Brothers, all of the Spokane area.

Council action on the Driscoll Boulevard job comes as the city finishes work on Wall Street from 200 feet south of Wellesley Avenue to Francis Avenue. A smooth, blacktopped Wall Street has been reopened to traffic, but crews were expected to continue finishing touches this week.

Elsewhere, Ash Street south of Northwest Boulevard has reopened as work moves from Ash to Maple streets on this year’s effort to rebuild the arterial routes north of the Spokane River.

Maple Street, including its intersection with Boone Avenue, is now closed for construction between Northwest Boulevard and the Maple Street Bridge on the second half of the project.

The Wall and Maple-Ash projects are being funded from a $117 million bond issue approved by voters in 2004. The Driscoll project is coming from other city funds.

Because of the Wall and Maple-Ash projects, the city is waiting until later this summer to repair Driscoll Boulevard. Ann Deasy, spokeswoman for city public works, said the work will occur in August and September. Driscoll is expected to be closed to traffic with local access only during construction. A detour for southbound traffic will be on Assembly Avenue to Northwest Boulevard. Northbound traffic will be routed to Alberta Street.

Work will include rehabilitation of the roadbed and pavement on Driscoll from Longfellow to Princeton avenues, from Broad to Queen avenues, from Everett to Sanson avenues and from Rowan Avenue to halfway between Bismark Avenue and Winston Drive. The remaining sections will be ground down and overlaid with new pavement.

“We expect Wall Street to be reopened to traffic before construction on Driscoll begins,” Deasy said in an e-mail.