Ecology’s Opinion Slow And Wrong

How could the city of Spokane be so stupid as to fail to consult the state Department of Ecology before spending millions on the Lincoln Street Bridge project?

Actually, the city wasn’t stupid. The city was double-crossed.

In a two-sentence ruling issued two months past deadline, the Ecology Department said the bridge’s shadow would violate the city’s shorelines plan.

The city repeatedly has requested Ecology Department comments on this project. In 1987 the department was invited to comment on the environmental impact statement for the bridge. In 1993 the department was asked to comment on an evaluation of the bridge’s impact on nearby park land, including the possible shadows. In November 1996 a representative of the Ecology Department attended a predevelopment conference to discuss the bridge’s compliance with laws and regulations.

Not once did the department jump at the supposed shadow violation. Yet Tony Grover, Ecology’s regional director, now calls the issue so obvious that “To make any other decision would be totally against the locally established shoreline master plan.” If it’s obvious to Ecology now, it should have been obvious earlier.

The provision Ecology seized upon last month is somewhat vague - vague enough to be twisted by an interpreter with an ideological agenda. But the provision’s intent is clear. This provision frowns on activity that “will tend to lessen or obliterate in part the falls and rapid areas” of the Spokane River. Those words are part of city master plans that have envisioned the disputed bridge for 26 years. Those words were written, says City Planning Director Charlie Dotson, to stop something that historically had been common in the gorge: the construction of dams, the dumping of fill and the modification of riverbed rock formations.

The shorelines plan does speak of bridges. It says: “There should be no additional bridges over the river. Any bridge found necessary for transportation should be designed to retain the river’s openness.”

The Lincoln Street Bridge is not an additional bridge. It will replace the bulky, view-blocking, dangerously deteriorated Post Street Bridge with a new span designed to enhance visual openness within the gorge. The new bridge, featuring a slim design and new pedestrian overlooks, will soar 65 feet above the water.

Ecology’s decision casts a shadow on the department’s fairness. The city is right to appeal.

, DataTimes The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = John Webster/For the editorial board