Motoring Through Millwood Underpass Has Made Commuter Route Along Argonne Increasingly Popular

Longer lines at the gas pumps and the coffee machine at the 7-Eleven in Millwood are sure signs that commuters are coming back to Argonne Road.

Nearly six months have passed since the Argonne underpass opened. Official numbers aren’t in yet, but traffic along Argonne, Millwood’s main drag, appears to be returning to pre-construction levels of more than 30,000 cars a day. Traffic engineers and Millwood residents say that’s just a glimpse at what is to come: more cars traveling at higher speeds along Argonne Road.

“They were going down Division, and now they’re jogging over from the Newport Y,” said Sam Azar, Millwood 7-Eleven owner.

Dennis Scott, county Public Works director, predicted at last fall’s underpass opening that many people would be surprised by the increase in traffic through Millwood. Motorists who previously stayed away from Argonne because they did not want to risk being stopped by a train would use the new underpass, Scott said.

“Just our perception is traffic is picking up quite a bit,” Ross Kelley, county project engineer, said Monday.

Azar said his business is beginning to reap the benefits of the recent traffic increases and he expects the trend to continue. The convenience store owner said he has received checks from customers from throughout the county, leading him to believe Argonne is emerging as a new north-south commuter route.

Traffic through Millwood, a town of 1,700, has become an increasing concern during the past few years.

The town’s third traffic light was erected on Argonne last spring. Two years ago, a proposal to run a sewer pipe under the Argonne Road Bridge over the Spokane River drew criticism from Millwood Mayor Jeanne Batson. She wanted assurance from county commissioners that they would consider Millwood’s existing traffic problems before approving future developments north of her town.

Houses are still being built north of Millwood. However, the Argonne underpass, which opened last Oct. 14 after 16 months of work, has temporarily lessened traffic tie-ups. The $11 million underpass allows cars, which used to back up into Millwood while freight trains crossed Argonne, to pass beneath the Burlington Northern Railroad tracks.

“They’re so glad they don’t have to wait for a train,” Batson said.

But smoother-flowing traffic has also meant an increase in speed and accidents, said Millwood resident Jean Gassman, who lives along Argonne.

Gassman said she has seen at least one accident a month at the intersection of Argonne and Grace Avenue. She attributed the accidents to higher speeds and drivers trying unsuccessfully to scoot through the intersection before the traffic light turns red.

“You can definitely tell when the stoplight changes,” Gassman said. “Once they see that green light they just go.”

Still, Gassman and others have few complaints.

“The only comments we have heard are from people who were happy that they haven’t had to plan for a train,” said Bob Brueggeman, county traffic engineer.

Engineers plan to count north-south traffic later this spring. The last traffic count taken in 1994 showed 30,400 cars traveled through Millwood daily.

Brueggeman expects this spring’s count will reveal traffic has increased south of Trent, but he is uncertain how the opening of the underpass has affected traffic through Millwood.

“Argonne is going to be the favorite route” for commuters south of Trent who want to use Trent to drive to the city of Spokane, Brueggeman said.

Taking Argonne to Bigelow Gulch Road also is a popular route among commuters headed to the North Side, who choose the route over driving north on Division, Nevada, Market or other city streets, he added.

Kelley said it’s not uncommon for motorists to still be returning to a commuter route six months after a significant construction project is finished. Traffic counts could exceed pre-construction levels this summer, he said.

“It’s the best thoroughfare right here,” said Jeff Postlewait, owner of the Rocket Bakery, where customers gazed out the window at Argonne while sipping espresso. “You can get to the North Side with no traffic lights.”

Kelley said that could make Argonne a favorite route for North Side residents who want to shop at the new Spokane Valley Mall, scheduled to open in August.

County engineers aren’t waiting for traffic on Argonne Road to become a big problem before they begin looking for solutions. They are looking at such possibilities as extending University Road across the freeway and river, or building a beltway around the urban area.

But for now, motorists seem content with the underpass. “Most are pretty excited it’s open so they can get back to their normal routine,” Postlewait said.

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