University District pedestrian bridge to include bus plaza

A $10.6 million University District Gateway Bridge will include a pedestrian and transit plaza on the south side of the BNSF Railway tracks.

The city of Spokane over the past year has acquired nearly two dozen private parcels on the south side of the tracks near Grant and Sherman streets.

Buildings on the properties have been demolished, and the site was graded to prepare it for plaza construction. The city received a $700,000 federal grant to pay for the pedestrian and transit plaza.

The property surrounds the south end of the planned bridge.

Last year, state lawmakers approved $8.8 million in funding for the bridge. That money was included in a statewide transportation construction package that also will provide money for completion of the North Spokane Corridor and other projects in Eastern Washington. An 11.9-cent gasoline tax increase is part of the funding.

The pedestrian and bicycle bridge is envisioned as a key link between the East Sprague business area and the University District to the north, which are separated by the BNSF tracks.

The transportation improvements are part of a larger plan to spark economic revival along East Sprague Avenue just east of Division Street.

Other projects involve renovation of Sprague Avenue in two phases, with the first phase affecting the business area between the Hamilton Street overpass and Altamont Street. A second phase would improve Sprague from Division to the Hamilton overpass.

The design of the plaza is currently being refined. Plans call for seeking construction bids for the bridge later this year, with work to begin in 2017. Completion is planned for 2018.

Andrew Worlock, a city planner on the project, said the plaza would enhance a plan to run a Spokane Transit Authority shuttle bus between hospitals and medical offices on the lower South Hill and the south end of the gateway bridge, making it a nonmotorized entrance to the University District.

Students and faculty in health care programs in the University District could use the shuttle to move back and forth from the medical centers to the campus.

Buses would arrive at the plaza using Grant Street on the west side and then circle through the plaza, using it as a bus stop. The shuttles would then exit on Sherman Street.

As part of the project, the city purchased a key parcel on the north side of the traffic light at Sherman and Sprague and demolished a building that had been located there. That opens the Sherman alignment for access.

In planning documents, the city has told private property owners it is committed to enhancing the public infrastructure in the area, including streets, pedestrian corridors, landscaping, and sewer and water service.

Beyond that, the city would consider vacating the Riverside Avenue right of way north of Sprague Avenue to provide additional space for the plaza. The Sheridan Street right of way north of Sprague could also be available for use by adjacent private property owners through an application, Worlock said.

The city would work on developing a gateway approach to East Sprague at Division and mark the area with signs pointing the way to the corridor and pedestrian bridge.

2016 construction project map online

The city of Spokane has now posted online its map of construction projects planned for the 2016 season. Several projects on the map are a continuation of projects that were underway during last year’s construction season.

To view the map and to see what projects might affect your driving, go to my.spokanecity.org/projects/construction/.

Centennial Trail open at Sullivan Road

The realignment of the Centennial Trail below the Sullivan Road Bridge replacement project has been completed. The trail has now reopened to public use.

However, the river itself remains closed to watercraft passage for safety reasons.