Spring Will Launch $45 Million Worth Of Road Projects

With spring just days away, the sweet smell of lilacs can’t be far behind.

Neither can the burnt smell of hot asphalt.

Paving, widening and sewer projects in the Spokane area will keep drivers dodging orange cones and weaving around flaggers all spring and summer and on into fall.

Later this month, state, county and city road crews will launch more than $45 million in road projects aimed at smoothing washboard streets and easing traffic congestion throughout the county.

“There’s going to be an awful lot of asphalt work all over,” said Bruce Steele, the city’s transportation director.

“Lots of work,” echoed county engineer Bill Johns.

Al Gilson, spokesman for the state Department of Transportation, said road crews will do everything possible to minimize driver frustration.

“But you can expect some congestion,” Gilson said.

Major road and improvement projects planned by the state, county and city this summer include:

Building sewers and repaving roads from Second to 16th avenues, Progress to Sullivan roads. Cost: $1.5 million. Start: late March.

Widening Division Street between Queen and Francis avenues. This is the last of a three-phase, $35 million improvement project. Cost: $2.2 million. Start: late March.

Repaving U.S. Highway 2 from the main gate at Fairchild Air Force Base to Interstate 90. Cost: $2.3 million. Start: late March.

Resurfacing state Highway 290 - also known as Trent Avenue - from Hamilton to Mission avenues. Cost: $628,000. Start: April.

Repaving U.S. 2 from where the highway narrows to two lanes in the Chattaroy area, north to the Pend Oreille County line. Cost: $1.9 million. Start: April.

Replacing four county bridges: Scroggie Road and Dark Nell bridges west of the city, Morrow Road bridge in the Valley and Prairie View bridge at Waverly. Cost: $2.5 million. Start: late spring.

Repaving Argonne Road from Old Argonne to Bigelow Gulch. Cost: $290,000. Start: late spring.

Building sewers and repaving streets from Country Homes Boulevard to Holland Avenue, Division to Wall. Cost: $2.5 million. Start: late spring.

Widening Dishman-Mica Road to four lanes between 16th and University avenues. Cost: $3.4 million. Start: late spring.

Repaving Hayford Trails from Spokane Raceway Park to Flint Street. Cost: $600,000. Start: late spring.

Repaving Francis Avenue and Nine Mile Road from Division to Lowell Avenue, and adding a right turn lane at Indian Trail Road. Cost: $3 to $4 million. Start: early summer.

Repaving and adding turn lanes to state Highway 206 - also known as the Mount Spokane Highway - from a half-mile east of U.S. 2 to Bruce Road. Crews also will realign the intersection of Highway 206 with U.S. 2. Cost: $1.5 million. Start: early summer.

Improving the intersection of Sprague Avenue and Fancher Road near Interstate 90. Cost: $1 million to $1.5 million. Start: early summer.

Widening Upriver Drive for bike lanes between the Centennial Trail and the parking lot. Cost: $1.7 million. Start: midsummer.

Widening and straightening the Palouse Highway from Valley Chapel Road to Odell Road. Cost: $3.5 million. Start: late summer.

Widening Nine Mile Road at Rifle Club Road to add a westbound, left-turn pocket. Cost: $33,430. Start: midsummer.

Repaving Monroe Street from the north side of the bridge to Sinto Avenue. Cost: unknown. Start: late summer.

Widening Indian Trail to four lanes from Kathleen to north city limits. Cost: about $3 million. Start: late summer.

Improving the I-90 off-ramp onto Pines Road, as well as smoothing congestion at the Pines Road and Mission avenue intersection. Cost: $250,000 to $750,000. Start: fall.

Building a new eastbound through lane, merging lane and bridges between Sprague and Argonne avenues along I-90. Cost: $13 to $14 million. Start: fall.

Replacing a water main beneath Division between Trent and Eighth avenues, and repaving sections of the street. Cost: $1.3 million. Start: fall.

, DataTimes