Work On Southeast Blvd. Bypass Set For Late Spring In/Around: Lincoln Heights

Thu., April 22, 1999

By Mike Prager mikeprager15@gmail.com (509) 459-5454

The long-awaited construction of a traffic bypass around the Lincoln Heights shopping district is cruising to a starting date later this spring.

The Spokane City Council voted earlier this month to accept $1.1 million in state road money for the half-mile arterial.

Now, city engineers are seeking bids from Spokane-area contractors for the construction.

Dick Raymond, design engineer, said he expects all of the larger paving companies to submit bids before the opening on April 26.

It will take another eight weeks to complete the contracts and get construction started, probably in late June, Raymond said.

Construction should be completed by fall.

When the new pavement opens, motorists will be able to drive nonstop between Southeast Boulevard and Regal Street.

The roadway will curve to the south of the Lincoln Heights shopping strip from 31st Avenue next to the Heights Home Center and Nursery to 34th Avenue at Regal.

The city already has spent about $850,000 buying up land on 18 separate parcels for the 85-foot-wide right-of-way.

Nearly all of the funding for the project is coming from the state and federal governments.

“They are picking up 99 percent of this,” said Jerry Sinclair, capital projects engineer.

He said the new arterial will improve traffic flow and increase safety, both of which are important criteria for receiving the grants.

“This should have traffic moving a lot better than it is now,” Raymond said.

The intersection of 29th and Regal, in the heart of the shopping district, has long been a maddening South Hill bottleneck. The new roadway will become a bypass.

In all, about $2.3 million will be spent for design, right-of-way and construction.

The project, known as the Southeast Boulevard crossover, will have two 20-foot travel lanes and a landscaped median to create a boulevard appearance. Access along its course will be limited so traffic will move smoothly.

One lane is being built in each direction. The pavement will be wide enough for a bike lane on each side. Curbs and sidewalks also will be built.

No buildings will be demolished because much of the new street is on undeveloped land.

A new intersection with a traffic light will be installed where the crossover meets Regal at the current 34th Avenue alignment.

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