Getting There: Valley seeks input on redesigning Park Road
Spokane Valley is asking for the public’s help in designing a newer, rebuilt version of Park Road from Indiana to Broadway avenues.
An open house about the project is set for 6 to 7:30 p.m. today at Seth Woodard Elementary School, 7401 E. Mission Ave.
The plan currently calls for creating a single lane of travel in each direction and adding a center turn lane and bike lanes.
But details are still under discussion, and the public may be able to help improve the project, said Carolbelle Branch, city public information officer.
“The people who live in the neighborhood know more about what the current situation is,” she said.
People also can help engineers minimize inconvenience during construction, and staff will be on hand tonight to answer questions.
Some right-of-way acquisition is expected in the $3 million project. Funding for the full project has not been obtained yet, but the city has money to do design work, Branch said.
Stormwater improvements are included, and sidewalks will be repaired and upgraded to meet standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act. That includes wheelchair ramps at intersections.
Concrete pavement is planned for the intersections at Broadway and Mission.
Park Road is included in the proposed bike and pedestrian master plan that is up for discussion before the Spokane Valley City Council on Oct. 11, with final adoption as early as Oct. 25.
In a related matter, the City Council will talk about a law requiring bicycle riders to wear helmets during a study session at 6 p.m. Oct. 18 at City Hall.
Survey on funding
The Washington State Transportation Commission is asking for help from the public in the form of a survey about how future transportation projects should be financed.
The survey will run through the middle of October.
The commission wants to gauge public sentiment on transportation funding on statewide and regional levels.
Postcards were mailed to 100,000 residents in the first phase.
In a second phase, now under way, members of the public are asked take the survey by signing up at voiceofwashingtonsurvey.org.
EMC Research of Seattle is conducting the survey, the results of which will be given to the governor and lawmakers later this year.
Blasting will close I-90
Construction continues on Interstate 90 east of Snoqualmie Pass this week with rock blasting expected to close the freeway for an hour at 6 p.m. daily tonight through Thursday.
Lane or ramp closures are also possible in the vicinity of Easton.
Highway 2, corridor work
Work on U.S. Highway 2 and the North Spokane Corridor may result in intermittent lane closures while a contractor removes concrete forms from a bridge at the interchange.
Also, access to the opened stretch of the freeway south of Farwell Road will be reconfigured. The southbound on-ramp and northbound off-ramp will be side by side in a two-way arrangement.
Maintenance work on U.S. 2 at Bear Lake may result in lane restrictions with flaggers directing traffic.
Nevada Street wraps up
Reconstruction of Nevada Street from Broad to Decatur avenues is expected to be finished Wednesday. The city of Spokane has rebuilt that section of street as part of a multiyear, voter-approved bond issue.
In addition, stormwater and water services are being upgraded on that section of street.
Francis/Addison upgrade
A project to upgrade traffic signals and install a concrete intersection is under way at Francis Avenue and Addison Street.
Francis is reduced to one lane in each direction at the project site. Addison is closed during the work, which started in late September.
Division Street restriction
Division Street near Riverside Avenue will be reduced to two lanes of travel today through Wednesday from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. Crews are installing conduit for a new traffic signal for Martin Luther King Jr. Way, which should be open by early November.