Voters paved the way for 110 miles – and counting – of city street repairs

Construction projects that have stymied downtown traffic and businesses this summer can be traced to a sweeping road-improvement effort passed by voters a dozen years ago amid worries that rutted roads and potholed streets were tough on cars – and the economy.

That $117 million bond measure in 2004 has fixed more than 110 miles of city asphalt, including residential streets and roads designated as safety corridors and traffic arterials.

The project was successful enough that 77 percent of voters extended their higher property taxes again in 2014 to keep street projects going for 18 more years through 2034.

“Hats off to our citizens,” said Mark Serbousek, Spokane streets director.

Back in 2004, the mayor and other city officials identified a $200 million backlog of needed street work. They put together a $117 million plan to fix the worst of those.

They delivered them on time, and in many cases, under budget, according to reviews of the projects.

“We tracked spending really well,” Serbousek said.

The effort allowed engineers to revise their approach to street planning and prioritize where new pavement was most needed.

The work now involves utility improvements so that roads don’t have to be torn up twice in quick succession.

The current street levy passed two years ago raises $5 million a year. That’s being combined with a $5 million match each year from city utilities for a total of $10 million annually.

“We use that to leverage state and federal grants,” said Marlene Feist, public works director of strategic development. Thus, the sum of all those various tax dollars can reach $20 million a year.

Several projects have benefited from grants where new stormwater retention tanks are being installed as part of a multiyear effort to keep combined stormwater and raw sewage out of the Spokane River during heavy rain or snow melt.

Still, some of the street projects have proven to be stubborn.

The reconstruction of Monroe and Lincoln streets from Main to Second avenues had extensive utility work, causing major traffic disruption for months now. The underground work slowed progress and has forced the contractor to wait until next spring for the final layer of asphalt pavement.

Several other downtown projects are lined up for work in coming years, including Riverside and Sprague avenues.

The city also has grant money secured for reconfiguring Monroe Street from Indiana to Kiernan avenues with two through lanes, a center turn lane and better sidewalks and amenities.

In addition to the property taxes and grants, the City Council in 2010 enacted a $20 annual vehicle tab license fee, which raises about $2.7 million a year into a transportation benefit district. Those funds are paying for smaller projects, largely in residential areas, including crack sealing and chip sealing.

And state highway maintenance funds are providing yet another source for fixing Spokane streets. Division, Browne and Ruby streets – a major state highway – are set for repaving in 2017. The state also will repave Division from Francis Avenue to the Y in 2017 as well as Trent Avenue east of Mission Avenue.