Evergreen Road Interchange Project Delayed

Thu., Feb. 13, 1997

By Brian Coddington brianc@spokesman.com

Construction of the Evergreen Road interchange on Interstate 90 has been postponed while money is sought to pay for all of the work.

Between $2 and $5 million still must be raised to fund the interchange project, said Ross Kelley, county project engineer.

“There’s a concerted effort between the developer and the (state) Department of Transportation to come up with the rest,” Kelley said.

Construction is now tentatively scheduled to begin in 1998, said Al Gilson, DOT spokesman.

The diamond interchange, which will cost $14 million to $16 million to build, will be paid for jointly by the state, Spokane County, Hansen Industries and Spokane Valley Mall developer JP Realty.

Work on the interchange’s north ramps originally was scheduled to start this summer, but federal transportation officials halted that plan because the money to complete the entire project was not in place, Kelley said.

State engineers are moving ahead with designing the Evergreen interchange, Gilson said.

The interchange project still will be built in stages, but construction will be continuous beginning with the north ramps and moving south, Kelley said.

Negotiations are continuing between JP Realty and state transportation officials in hopes that a deal can be struck to fund the remaining portion, Kelley said. DOT officials have put in a request to the state Legislature for money.

“We’re kind of watching the Legislature to see what happens,” Kelley said.

Rep. Larry Crouse, R-Spokane Valley, said money for the Evergreen interchange was second to the Sprague Avenue interchange on a list of projects presented to the chairman of the House Transportation Committee.

The interchange is expected to relieve extra traffic congestion anticipated at the already busy Pines and Sullivan interchanges after the Spokane Valley Mall opens this summer.

, DataTimes

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