Argonne Detour Gets Trickier

Just when you thought traffic around the Argonne detour was confusing enough, county engineers further tightened the flow.

Traffic on Trent Avenue near Argonne was restricted to one lane in each direction Wednesday morning. The revision allowed workers to start sloping Trent to the level of the Argonne Underpass.

Concrete barriers now separate the traffic from the construction on the north side of Trent.

“Basically traffic was shifted to the south side of Trent,” said engineer Jim Radke, who has been overseeing construction on the underpass project.

But there is an end in sight. County spokesperson Chad Hutson said Thursday the underpass is scheduled to open Aug. 30. Engineers will place signs on both sides of the current Argonne detour route next Tuesday to kick off a 100-day countdown to the project’s opening.

Meanwhile, minor adjustments made to the detour on Dale road will make traffic flow more smoothly, Radke said.

Road signs and arrows painted on the street now funnel northbound traffic to one lane when it crosses Trent Road. The move matches northbound lane capacity on Dale Road, north of Trent.

Previously, northbound motorists who travelled the Dale-Montgomery Road detour were forced to merge from two lanes into one as they crossed Trent.

Changes in the traffic light sequence at Trent and Dale will improve southbound traffic flow, Radke said. Drivers may now go straight from either southbound lane.

Originally, the traffic lights and signs forced drivers in the left lane to turn. That meant drivers who wanted to go straight changed to the right lane just before the intersection, creating “jerky traffic movement,” Radke said.

“It’s difficult to predict exactly what motorists are going to do when a major traffic revision like this takes place,” Radke said. “Until you get the plan into effect, you’re a little concerned with the reality of it. Once the reality is there, you’ve got to adjust to it.”

South Valley Arterial update

The Spokane Valley Business Association, a long-time opponent of building a South Valley Arterial, is weakening its stance on the proposed east-west route.

The board of directors voted at a recent meeting to consider an alternative to the plan that was rejected by county commissioners last month.

The new plan proposes that four lanes be built along the Old Milwaukee Railroad right-of-way to carry eastbound traffic. Westbound traffic would be routed along Sprague Avenue.

The preliminary proposal routes drivers past businesses along the Sprague corridor, and avoids the Dishman Hills Natural Area.

The association has been critical of previous South Valley Arterial proposals, fearing it would take commuters off Sprague and away from businesses there.

The association also shared concerns voiced by environmentalists about how the arterial would affect the Dishman Hills Natural Area.

But consideration of the plan should not be misconstrued as an endorsement, the board of directors cautioned.

Increasing traffic problems in the Valley have forced the board to reconsider its position, they said.

County engineers estimate a South Valley Arterial could draw as many as 40,000 cars off Interstate 90 and several thousand cars off Sprague each day.

Vera position open

Vera Water and Power is accepting applications to fill a seat on its board of directors.

A board member retirement created the vacancy.

Property owners within the water district interested in serving on the board should send a resume by June 1 to Vera Water Power, P.O. Box 630, Veradale, WA 99307.

, DataTimes