Ted McDermott

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Opinion >  Column

Getting There: STA’s ridership is way down, but its revenue is way up, offering ample opportunities for growth

UPDATED: Mon., Nov. 8, 2021

Assistance from the federal government and better-than-expected local sales tax returns has the public transit authority looking at future building projects, through 2022 and beyond. 

News >  Washington

Getting There: With gas tax revenue shrinking and infrastructure in growing disrepair, can state find more transportation money?

Mon., Nov. 1, 2021

Rebar is showing on the surface of the Central Ferry Bridge connecting Whitman and Garfield counties. The WSDOT says it doesn't have enough money for repairs, and is instead slowing traffic to minimize damage.

News >  Washington

Projects would invest billions on Lake Roosevelt for needed renewable-energy storage, but hurdles are high

Wed., Oct. 27, 2021

GRAND COULEE, Wash. – Darvin Fales stood on the North Dam of Banks Lake on a recent morning and looked down through the town of Grand Coulee toward the water of Lake Roosevelt shimmering in the distance.

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Opinion >  Column

Getting There: Roundabout, traffic light slated for Ray-Freya as city looks to update network around Ferris

Mon., Oct. 25, 2021

The Ray-Freya Alternatives Analysis – as the city-guided, consultant-driven report released this month is known – lays out a large number of other ideas for creating new paths and active-transit connections around Ferris.

Sports >  Outdoors

The mountains are speckled with golden larches during October

Wed., Oct. 20, 2021

If you were south of Coeur d’Alene, where Paul Zambino lives, last week, you probably wouldn’t even know the larch were there.

Opinion >  Column

Getting There: Planners agree on a Highway 195 corridor wish list, but neighborhood leaders aren’t satisfied

Mon., Oct. 18, 2021

The list, released last month and slated for approval next month, is a collection of improvements that have been needed for decades, neighbors argue. 

Opinion >  Column

Will new pedestrian trail reach for the sky? Bicycle Advisory Board leader hates both routes WSDOT is proposing for Children of the Sun

UPDATED: Mon., Oct. 4, 2021

Three options have emerged for the Children of the Sun trail connecting Hillyard to the East Central neighborhood as work on the North Spokane Corridor heats up over the next several years. One would include elevating the trail alongside the interstate, but bike and pedestrian interests are less than enthused about the idea.

News >  Idaho

Development of Priest Lake wetland moves forward after John Stockton tried to stop it; concerns remain

Sun., Oct. 3, 2021

COOLIN, IDAHO – “There’s a lot of emotions tied up in this,” Bob Bond said. “Sadness, frustration, anger – you name it.”

Opinion >  Column

Getting There: Bus driver shortages are keeping Spokane students from school. Can STA help?

Mon., Sept. 27, 2021

Federal regulations concerning competition against private charters may limit what the public transit authority can do to help the issue facing Spokane schools. But the agencies are trying to work together to ease students' delays in getting to school. 

Opinion >  Column

Getting There: Federal prioritization of equitable, sustainable projects changes calculus for local planners

UPDATED: Tue., Sept. 21, 2021

The Biden administration has announced it will prioritize funding for transportation projects promoting equity and sustainability. That has local traffic planners rethinking their pitches for federal cash. 

News >  Washington

New pipeline will deposit treated water from ex-uranium mine directly into Lake Roosevelt

Wed., Sept. 15, 2021

It didn’t look like much, just a snake of black pipe running along the shoulder of a dirt road, above the bank of a small stream called Blue Creek.

Opinion >  Column

Getting There: WSDOT wants to close Freya eastbound on-ramp forever to combat congestion

Mon., Sept. 13, 2021

Closing the short on-ramp near the Thor/Freya couplet will speed up rush hour drive time on the freeway, but would make for longer pauses for cars hoping to merge at the next ramp to the east, traffic planners said. 

Opinion >  Column

Getting There: Land bridge over I-90 would aim to reconnect part of East Central as NSC approaches

Mon., Sept. 6, 2021

With the backing of the city of Spokane and support from City Councilwoman Betsy Wilkerson, the East Central neighborhood council and others, WSDOT recently submitted a grant that would allocate $1.3 million to “look at the potential of a land bridge across I-90.” 

News >  Spokane

WSDOT touted new placemaking engagement process for NSC, but Minnehaha residents say their input ‘didn’t matter’

Tue., Aug. 31, 2021

Shannon Benn went door to door, soliciting input from her neighbors in Minnehaha.

Opinion >  Column

Getting There: Spokane seeks to link denser development to better transit, achieve a ‘green dividend’

Mon., Aug. 30, 2021

The arrival of the City Line in neighborhoods including Logan and Chief Garry is coinciding with efforts to allow denser development along rapid transit lines within city limits. 

News >  Local business

Want a private island on Lake Pend Oreille? You’ll need $7 million

UPDATED: Wed., Aug. 25, 2021

With its sandy cove, towering pines, views of the Green Monarchs and 13 acres of total solitude, separated from everyone by the pristine waters of Lake Pend Oreille, Memaloose Island has everything anyone looking for luxurious seclusion could ask for, except a house.

News >  Washington

Palouse railway reopens after fire burns bridge, closes line for 5 days

UPDATED: Tue., Aug. 24, 2021

The Spokane, Spangle & Palouse Railway runs on 63 miles of track between Marshall and the Idaho state line, bringing grain and other goods north and taking fertilizer and other supplies south.

News >  Business

Airport Drive extension opens Tuesday, changing traffic pattern for parking, terminal

UPDATED: Mon., Aug. 23, 2021

There's a new fork in Airport Drive, and you will want to pay attention when you reach it.

Opinion >  Column

Getting There: City pursues West Central greenway as citizens ask for citywide bike network

Mon., Aug. 23, 2021

Spokane's $81 million in pandemic-relief money could be spent in many ways. Survey respondents have put a protected bike lane network on the list of desired projects, and a potential connection in West Central could be one of many steps toward making that system a reality. 

News >  Idaho

As Rathdrum Prairie disappears, with no plan to save it, some farmers are holding out – for now

UPDATED: Sun., Aug. 22, 2021

What once was known as the Rathdrum Prairie might more accurately be described now as the “shared tier.”

News >  Pacific NW

What does passenger rail need in Eastern Washington? Two upcoming meetings offer the chance to share your thoughts

UPDATED: Wed., Aug. 18, 2021

Patrick Carnahan and Charlie Hamilton, co-executive directors of All Aboard Washington, have spent the past week traveling the state to drum up support for expanded passenger rail service.

News >  Spokane

2 week traffic disruption coming to Liberty Lake for Harvard Road bridge widening

UPDATED: Mon., Aug. 16, 2021

The headaches for drivers in Liberty Lake will get worse before they get better.

Opinion >  Column

Getting There: Can Spokane’s light rail effort be revived?

Mon., Aug. 16, 2021

Early planning work 15 years ago established a price tag and some early ideas of what light rail might look like between Spokane and Coeur d'Alene. A pair of advisory votes effectively killed that momentum. Now, the backers of that original planning say it's time to dust off those documents.

Opinion >  Column

Getting There: City goes back to drawing board to design Fish Lake Trail connection

Mon., Aug. 9, 2021

An analysis of options to connect the northern terminus of the trail with existing systems in Spokane ends without a final recommendation. But city planners say they believe they've come up with one that allays all concerns about the safety of cyclists and other trail users. 

News >  Spokane

Upriver Drive closes at Mission as Avista begins work on new park

UPDATED: Tue., Aug. 3, 2021

Upriver Drive was permanently closed on Monday from Mission Avenue to North Center Street as Avista Corp. began work to replace the road with a new park between its headquarters and the Spokane River.