More Traffic New Developments Bringing Increased Vehicle Trips To Some Areas Of The South Side

Thu., Jan. 25, 1996

Bruce Krasnow Staff Writer

Spokane’s South Side can be likened to two neighborhoods when it comes to traffic growth: Older, established areas are seeing increases taper off while new sections are seeing more congestion.

The city of Spokane’s new three-year traffic numbers were released this week and paint a picture of the South Hill much like planners expected: little or no growth in the southwest and more traffic brought about by new development farther south and southeast.

One of biggest gains in sheer traffic volume was at Regal Street and the city limits, the site of a new ShopKo store. The number of trips per day jumped 66 percent, from 6,800 to 11,300.

The already crowded intersection of 29th Avenue and Regal had a jump of 23 percent, from 12,600 cars per day to 15,500.

Traffic nearly doubled near the new Chase

Middle School, to 4,100 vehicles per day. Twice as many cars - 5,100 a day - were also counted at Hatch Road and 57th Avenue.

Along state Highway 195, where there has been a lot of new construction around the Creek At Qualchan golf course, traffic was up 30 percent near the Cheney-Spokane Road.

Other counts indicate:

Ray Street carries 23,300 cars a day, an increase of 8.3 percent.

Rockwood Boulevard carries 6,100 cars a day, up from 5,700.

Traffic on Perry Street south of 29th Avenue increased from 5,500 to 6,200 a day. The city tried to push more cars onto Perry by restricting turn movements at Pittsburg Street with a concrete barrier.

Areas with relatively little traffic growth include 29th Avenue at High Drive, which registered 500 more vehicles a day to 5,800.

Traffic on 29th Avenue at Grand Boulevard increased 900 cars a day to 15,200, while there are 2,000 more vehicles at day at Grand and 17th Avenue - 17,500

Southeast Boulevard at Perry rose from 6,200 vehicles a day to 8,000, but traffic at Perry and Ninth Avenue decreased 600 cars a day to 8,600.

Along Lincoln Street, traffic was up sharply in the hospital district, but south of 14th Avenue there were 7,800 vehicles a day, just 200 more vehicles than three years ago.

, DataTimes

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