The Way North Two Routes Proposed For New Highway Connecting I-90 With North Spokane

For years a freeway through north Spokane has been just a glimmer in the eyes of commuters and traffic planners.

Now, after three years of study, it has evolved into a massive analysis that lists each property lost or impacted by two proposed routes and seven interchanges.

One route would go through 230 homes, 42 businesses, traverse Minnehaha Park and take a large chunk of Esmeralda Golf Course.

The other goes over 248 homes, 83 businesses, a parking lot at Spokane Community College and then winds behind Hillyard.

Both require a large bridge over the Spokane River and Centennial Trail, pass close to Cooper Elementary, around Kaiser’s Mead plant and hitch up with U.S. 395 near Wandermere Golf Course.

The public will get its first chance to comment on the plans at 7 p.m. today at Shadle Park High School. The Department of Transportation will answer questions and host an open house starting at 6 p.m.

Many doubt there will ever be enough money to pay for freeway construction. Estimated to cost $2 billion, it would be the most expensive road project ever in Washington state.

Still, the hearing will allow residents to tell highway planners if they believe there is a need for such a road, which route they prefer and what it should look like.

Some planners, for instance, are already saying the days when Spokane’s traffic problems could be solved by such a freeway are past and that growth has shifted northwest, southwest and to the Spokane Valley.

Build some limited access north-south road but don’t suck up all the money from other needed projects, these planners say.

A north Spokane freeway would do little to ease congestion in Indian Trail or along Francis Avenue. It wouldn’t help new residents along Nine Mile Road get to the airport or aid commuters living west of the Ash-Maple corridor.

“It’s time may have come and passed,” said Bill Johns, a county engineer. “Does it make sense to put all that money into a narrow little corridor?”

Depending on the exact route, a freeway would run about 10 miles and provide up to seven interchanges. Both proposed routes would start near I-90’s Thor-Freya interchange, cross the Centennial Trail and Spokane River, wind through Hillyard and around Kaiser Mead, then end at the new U.S. 395 bridge.

Here is a rundown on the two proposed corridors and some issues related to each:

The Market/Green route is more direct with the freeway going north along Greene Street. After crossing the river, it follows the vacant Burlington Northern Railroad property past Wellesley and Francis to approximately Lincoln Road.

The elevated route would:

Be 1,250 feet from Chief Garry Park but would not be visible to park users, though there would be some noise.

Affect access to Spokane Community College on the west side. A bridge over the property would be built with a noise wall to limit sound.

Be adjacent to J.J. Hill/ Wildhorse Park at Empire Avenue east of Market. A depressed roadway design and a noise wall would alleviate most impact to the park. A pedestrian crossing would also be installed in this area.

The Havana route slides further east and crosses the Spokane River at about Trent. The freeway would then continue to Frederick Avenue, turning west to climb the base of Beacon Hill. It would go over or through Minnehaha Park, following the eastern edge of Esmerelda Golf Course. The route proceeds to Francis Avenue where it sweeps to the west again.

Among the issues:

Minnehaha Park: A bridge would cross the eastern portion of the park, but the road would require seven acres of Minnehaha for right-of-way. Another option has a tunnel going through the park, instead of over it.

Esmeralda: The freeway would require five acres of the developed golf course and would eliminate seven holes that line the base of Beacon Hill. Twenty two acres of undeveloped golf course property would also be needed.

“Operation of the north-south freeway will have major ramifications on the remaining golf course property,” the state’s draft analysis says. Options cited in the document include relocating the course or redesigning it for nine holes of play.

There are also two loops proposed that would connect the main trunk of the freeway to U.S. 395.

One proceeds north around Kaiser’s Mead plant and crosses Highway 2 just south of Farwell Road.

The north loop falls 280 feet south of Farwell Park, the elementary school and Northwood Junior High complex. Noise levels on the playfields would increase and walking or bike routes along Hastings and Farwell Roads may be disrupted.

The other would intersect Highway 2 near Nevada Street. This connection goes through the privately owned Pine Acres Golf Course, which recently expanded. The Mead High School grounds are 1,500 feet west of the centerline and the south edge of Wandermere is 400 feet away.

Though the DOT has no official position, citizens following the project recognize the difficulty of going through parks and recreation areas - and the potential controversy.

City Councilman Mike Brewer, a resident of northeast Spokane, said the Greene/Market corridor has received a fair amount of support because it follows the vacant railroad corridor.

Such a road can actually improve downtown Hillyard by detouring the truck traffic onto the freeway and making Market Street safer for pedestrians and shoppers.

Loretta Spence, a Hillyard community leader, said opposition to the plan in Hillyard quieted when the DOT decided on a recessed road north of the Spokane River, much like Interstate 90 east of downtown.

Such a roadway should reduce both noise and carbon monoxide.

“The thought of it being there is much nicer than sitting on top of my house,” she said. “When I go to Costco downtown you hardly notice a freeway going through there.”

Spence predicted most of the opposition coming from East Central Spokane.

Otherwise, people are leery of criticizing something that’s been around in some form since 1946, and may never even be built because of its price tag.

“I’m almost 60 and my joke is I won’t be alive when it comes through,” Spence said. “I don’t think people are going to get real excited about this until they see the whites of its eyes.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo Graphic: Will a freeway run through it?