Some Pain To Get Traffic Gain

Is relief in sight for traffic congestion in the Spokane Valley?

Depends on how farsighted you are.

County Engineer Bill Johns says a newly approved east-west traffic couplet could be open to vehicles by the end of 2000 - if there are no glitches (no small “if.”)

By reconfiguring 2-1/2 miles of Sprague Avenue and Milwaukee Railroad right of way into nine lanes of one-way traffic (four eastbound and five westbound), county officials hope to ease the overload on both Sprague and Interstate 90.

Before that vision can be realized, though, there is property to acquire, streets to tear up and traffic to reroute.

The advantages of the work are evident to anyone who has driven Sprague or Interstate 90 through the Valley during rush hour. But there also will be endurance-testing sacrifices between now and when the job’s complete.

Is the trade-off worth it? And how should motorists, residents and business owners cope with the inconveniences and stress in the meantime?

UnPACing to do

Republican Rep. Linda Smith of Vancouver, Wash., says she’ll accept no special-interest money in her campaign for the U.S. Senate seat held by Democrat Patty Murray.

Just what is a “special interest,” anyway, and what’s wrong with its money?

Excelling at mediocrity

He just may have had his tongue in his cheek when he framed his comments, but Edward A. Reynolds of Spokane sent e-mail to say the Spokane County public defender’s office should do its job adequately rather than zealously.

He explains:

“The adequate but not zealous surgeon will find most of the cancer cells in the Medicaid patient. The adequate but not zealous county engineer will oversee the building of bridges that hardly ever collapse. The adequate but not zealous state auditor probably will catch quite a few of the mistakes made by the adequate office manager. “The adequate faculty in an adequate public school will get your grandchild into an adequate public university, where she’ll be prepared to do an adequate job (for an adequate salary) of, say, guiding the economic development agency in preparing a new motto: ‘Spokane! An adequate place to live and work!”’

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