Roadwork Begins North Of Bridge

As construction of the new Harvard Road Bridge nears completion, work on widening the roadway is beginning.

Crews have marked off what will be the new four-lane road just north from the bridge over the Spokane River to Euclid Avenue, and soon will be shaping the road with dirt and gravel.

Woodard Construction of Spokane will be doing the preliminary work on the road and Inland Asphalt will complete the paving.

By the end of this week, crews will begin filling in the northern approach to the bridge with dirt and gravel, said county planner Ross Kelley.

Curbs and gutters will be installed before the section is paved.

Work on the southern approach will begin once the northern approach is finished. Both should be complete by May, said Kelley.

He expects traffic to flow across the new bridge by early June, when all work on the widened road and the new bridge is expected to be completed.

By early summer, Harvard Road will be four lanes from just south of the new bridge to the intersection of Harvard and Euclid. Between the bridge and Euclid, Harvard will curve slightly to the east and taper down to two lanes at the intersection. The county bought land to accommodate the rerouted road.

Future plans include widening Harvard from the Interstate 90 interchange to just south of the bridge, said Kelley.

Concrete for the bridge’s main deck is scheduled to be poured April 7, said Tobin Smith, project manager for Max J. Kuney, the general contractor for the $3.75 million project. Railings, sidewalks and a bike lane will be installed once decking is finished.

The Kuney crew is also installing the footing and an abutment wall for the Centennial Trail, which will be rerouted under the bridge.

The new bridge is being built just east of the existing one, which was built in 1950s.

Smith said demolition of the old bridge will be completed by the second week in September.

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