Downtown roadwork continues to end of week

Expect congestion and delays on Interstate 90 off-ramps in downtown Spokane until late this week as a result of road construction projects.

Commuter traffic coming into Spokane Monday morning was held up as a result of the roadwork.

The city of Spokane has a contractor putting down a final layer of pavement on Second Avenue from Howard Street to Sunset Boulevard.

As a result, lane restrictions are in place this week, which slowed traffic coming into downtown from the Lincoln and Maple exits.

Ann Deasy, city spokeswoman, said the restrictions will last through the week. Intersections without signals were closed.

Second Avenue was reduced to one lane of traffic on Monday from Howard to Sunset. The roadway has obstructions from utility casings that were exposed in advance of paving. They are marked with orange paint so that drivers can avoid them.

Paving work from Browne to Sunset Boulevard is scheduled for Thursday and Friday nights at 7 p.m. through 6 a.m. the next morning, weather permitting.

Paving last weekend was completed from Arthur to Division streets, allowing that segment to reopen, Deasy said.

Sprague and First avenues are the recommended detour routes.

Spokane Falls Boulevard at the University District campus is closed, but traffic is allowed to circumvent construction by using Riverpoint Boulevard.

The $2.1 million project on Second is now in its second year and is funded through a voter-approved bond issue from 2004. A contractor ran out of time last fall to finish the final layer of pavement downtown and is now completing that work.