Spokane7
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May 27, 2010 in Washington Voices
Grants sought for projects
Barker Road overpass and part of Sullivan Road Bridge need work in future
Despite the recent furor over the use of grant money for road projects, the Spokane Valley City Council voted Tuesday to allow staff to apply for grants for two large upcoming projects.
Money will be needed within the next few years to fund the replacement of the west side of the Sullivan Road bridge and build an overpass at Trent and Barker over the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway tracks, said senior engineer Steve Worley. A 2009 inspection revealed that the west section of the Sullivan Road Bridge scored a sufficiency rating of 24.14, which is considered structurally deficient. The rating makes the project eligible for federal funding for the estimated $19.7 million cost.
Federal bridge grants require a 20 percent match and Worley said he would apply for a state grant from the Freight Mobility Strategic Investment Board to supply some of the needed matching funds. Otherwise the city would have to pay $4 million for its share. “The city does not have that kind of money at this time,” Worley said.
The Barker overpass is part of the “Bridging the Valley” effort and has been ranked the second-highest regionally important project by the Spokane Regional Transportation Council. Worley estimates that the project will cost around $61 million and said staff will be applying for any grant the project qualifies for. “The cost of this project is enormous,” he said.
That project will not be happening soon, even though it is already partially designed. “It depends on how quickly we can get funding,” he said. “It could be several years.”
Worley said there will be a lot of competition for the two FMSIB grants. “There’s no guarantee we’re going to get funding for either of them,” he said.
Councilwoman Brenda Grassel asked if there was a deadline for the grant application, since the item had been added to the meeting late. “There’s quite a bit of material here,” she said. “We just received this five minutes before the meeting.”
Worley said the applications have to be in by Friday and it was a last minute addition to the agenda because he only just realized that the applications require the signature of the mayor.
Grassel also made reference to recent discussions on grant-funded road projects and said she didn’t want to be in the position again of having to give back grant money if the council decided not to move forward with the projects. Grassel lodged the only no vote; all other council members present voted to approve the requests for grant money.
In other business, there was a public hearing on the proposed 2011-’16 Transportation Improvement Plan, which details all the road projects the city is considering for the next six years. There was no public comment and council members had no questions.
The council also voted unanimously to pass a resolution expressing support of the efforts of “ChangePoint Spokane” to conduct community education on how best to help the homeless in regards to the panhandling issue. There were also reports on a proposed street vacation of a section of 16th Avenue near Carnahan and several proposed Municipal Code text amendments. The amendments would add language to address developer responsibilities, incorporate the revised flood insurance rates maps and provide a reasonable use exception for properties impacted by critical areas.
Remembering heroes 
Marc Mims on May 27 at 6:53 p.m.
Dear Mr. Hinkle, I invite you to join me for a bike ride. You need some perspective to go with your research.
There’s a reason it’s illegal to ride on the sidewalk. Pedestrians understand the reason. Cyclists do, too. Bikes should be discouraged from sidewalks.
The Broadway Safety project is about–safety. It will make the road safer for pedestrians, cyclists, *and* motorists.
Spokane Valley needs this project. The arguments against it are weak. Some are downright silly.
Cathyblueyes on May 27 at 7:35 p.m.
It would be a terrible shame to lose grant money for improvements on Broadway Avenue. Because a law is not consistently enforced doesn’t make it an unnecessary law. Bicycles were originally relegated to the streets (see 100 Years ago May 23rd; Spokesman-Review) and have been banned in many areas from sidewalks for safety reasons. A pedestrian-bicycle collision can and has caused fatal injury to the pedestrian. As a motorist, I have had several near-collisions with bicycles on sidewalks due to the narrow field of vision and speed of the bicycle. As a cyclist, I ride in areas both with and without bike lanes. Where bike lanes are present, I have had very few problems with motorists. I have been physically assaulted on a road with no bicycle lane in addition to experiencing multiple near-accidents and witnessing negligence by an irresponsible minority (Thank You to you majority of responsible and kind citizens) With 2/3 of our Valley residents overweight/obese, it is imperative to provide opportunities for our citizens to be both active and safe. My fellow cyclists represent educated and professional citizens who are also motorists. Bicycle lanes provide a guideline for safe clearance for both motorists and cyclists. Please do not throw away this opportunity to enrich and enhance Spokane Valley.
DeeDee_Loberg on May 28 at 8:49 a.m.
Everyone should attend the Pedestrian /Bicycle Masterplan workshop on June 16th @Spokane Valley City Hall.