Highway Hustle Users Of I-90 Are Stuck In A Troubled On-Again, Off-Again Relationship With The Road

Gripes ran compliments off the road after The Slice asked readers to rate Interstate 90’s exits and on-ramps.

A few respondents actually had positive things to say. Kathy Barnes, for instance. “In my opinion, the Hamilton Street exit, both on-ramp and off-ramp, is the very best,” she wrote.

But the majority of readers sharing their views were in no mood for praise. Even Barnes found fault: “The worst one is the Lincoln Street exit ramp.”

Here’s a sampling of other readers’ observations. Fasten your seat belt.

“I commute the I-90 between Spokane and Coeur d’Alene every day,” wrote Marilyn Kochner. “The worst interchange has to be Liberty Lake. Neither the eastbound nor westbound on-ramps are long enough for cars to reach the 70 mph that traffic is traveling. The merging lane is woefully short, so cars are often pushed onto the shoulder. Now, factor in that these on-ramps are on a curve of the freeway. So the westbound traffic can’t see if someone is on the merging ramp until they are practically knocking on your passenger door.”

Another reader said an exchange of single-finger salutes was not uncommon along that stretch.

Pat Hollister offered her own nomination.

“The absolute worst interchange on the entire freeway is the Thor-Freya exit,” she wrote. “Especially in the winter, when they plow the snow up in the middle of it so you can’t see who’s coming or going.”

Shirley Iverson and several others seconded that.

Lynn Hostetter pointed an accusatory finger in a different direction.

“I think the Pines interchange is the worst in the West (Argonne and Sullivan a close second),” he wrote. “People from back East say it is the worst in the world.”

He called the traffic flow at Pines “A Christmas tree elegance of red lights.”

Hostetter’s parting shot: “I’m not from California, but after my Uncle Sam tour of duty there I really learned to appreciate clover-leaf interchanges.”

Sherm Blake called the traffic situation at the Browne Street entrance to the freeway in downtown Spokane “The worst from Boston to Seattle.”

Leonard Cash, Mark Darnell and Neil Clemons were among those who said the eastbound Sprague Avenue on-ramp is flat-out dangerous. “Glad to see it’s going bye-bye,” wrote Clemons, referring to highway engineers’ plans to revamp that interchange.

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“I think the worst is coming west on I-90 on to the Division Street exit,” said Jim Nelson. “It’s such a short distance to that light and a lot of people are coming down off there fast.”

A few readers rated entrances to the freeway from the perspective of drivers already zipping along on I-90.

Sharon Olp said she routinely has trouble with traffic feeding onto the interstate from the eastbound entrance off Monroe. “God only knows why they think they have to get all the way over to the left-hand lane right away,” she said.

Shawn McKissack reported feeling bullied by eastbound traffic entering I-90 off Highway 2, west of downtown Spokane. “I’m driving a little Ford Escort and I’m afraid I’m going to get blown away by a semi,” he said.

Clearly though, more than a few Spokane area motorists are convinced that other drivers aren’t the only problem out there.

“On a flight to Atlanta, I found myself seated next to a highway design engineer,” wrote Margaret Koivula. “So I told him about the I-90 entrance from and exit to Sprague Avenue. His response was, and I quote, ‘Sometimes we highway engineers are in bad moods, too.”’

That’s not quite the whole story, according to Al Gilson, spokesman for the Washington State Department of Transportation.

He pointed out that most of the interstate was designed long ago and was intended to handle significantly lower traffic volumes than exist today.

Moreover, he said engineers are well aware of I-90’s multiple shortcomings in the Spokane area. But a massive overhaul would be incredibly expensive.

“We’re ready to roll,” said Gilson. “Just send the check.”

In lieu of that, you might take some small solace in the words of a reader familiar with driving in the Seattle area.

“I-5 is worse.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Staff illustration by Molly Quinn