Plan Driving Routes To Avoid Road Work

Valley commuters can expect to be held up by road work during the coming months as construction crews make their last push before winter.

At least three projects will get under way this week, said Bill Johns, Spokane County construction engineer.

Workers will be relocating underground utilities at the intersection of Sullivan and Sprague this week in preparation of a $3.2 million road widening project, Johns said.

In about two weeks, crews will begin tearing up Sullivan between Sprague and Interstate 90 to install sewer lines.

Then they will begin to widen Sullivan to seven lanes.

“Once we get going there, it’s going to be fairly disruptive to traffic,” Johns said. “That sewer runs right down the middle of the road. We’ll probably be pushing the snow on that one.”

Johns urged drivers to start planning alternate routes now.

Other crews this week began a $500,000 project to realign Mission Avenue near Liberty Lake.

They are working to move utilities right now but should begin actual road work before the month is over, Johns said.

“It’s going to be a little while before we impact the driving public,” he said.

The project calls for relocating Mission so it curves around the south side of the new Albertsons grocery store, Johns said. Crews will also do some widening of Liberty Lake Drive in that area.

Drivers will be forced to use detours once that work begins, Johns said.

Also, this week workers began installing wheel chair ramps at intersections along the Sprague corridor.

The $51,000 project will add about 70 ramps between Argonne and Sullivan.

Some lanes will be temporarily closed as crews use jackhammers to break away curbs for the ramps.

Johns said the county hopes to have all work finished before winter.

“This is our annual end-of-the-year push,” he said. “We want to hurry so we can get things done before the snow flies.”