Intersection Closure Confuses Drivers Ramsey, Appleway Crossroads Quiet For Month For Construction

Construction closed down a portion of Ramsey Road on Monday, causing confused motorists to ask directions to get to home, school and area businesses.

The construction will shut down the busy Ramsey Road/Appleway Drive intersection for a month as Appleway is rerouted to the north. However, all of Appleway remains open.

“A lot of folks asked, `How do we get to UPS?”’ said Phil Goodlander, owner of Goodies Texaco, located at 1650 W. Appleway.

For now, United Parcel Service customers must take U.S. Highway 95 to Kathleen Avenue to Ramsey, or follow Appleway across Ramsey to the back streets through the golf course district to the west.

Goodlander’s mother, City Councilwoman Deanna Goodlander, said the intersection closure is simply progress that needed to happen.

She closed Goodies Country Qwik Stop because the stretch of Appleway that supplied her business with traffic will eventually become a culdesac.

“Actually, (the monthlong closure) is probably the best way to do it,” she said. “It’s better to have it done and over with.”

Goodies Texaco was built so that the store faces where the new Appleway will be located.

“We had no choice but to build a new store,” Goodlander said. “We were held up 10 years waiting on this to happen.”

Amy Reagan, owner of Java Java, on the corner of Appleway and Ramsey, said she lost a lot of regular business Monday at her drive-up coffee stand.

Both Reagan and Cora Frederick, who helped direct traffic for North Star Enterprises of Liberty Lake, guided confused drivers.

“We’ve had people asking directions. They wanted to know how to get to their homes and school,” Frederick said.

The construction crews from Max J. Kuney Co. of Spokane closed the intersection to link the new Appleway Drive with Lee Ranch Drive.

Motorists can still use Northwest Boulevard and Appleway to access Interstate 90.

The work includes pulling up old asphalt, digging 5-foot trenches for utilities, sewer, storm water drainage, and installing curbs and gutters.

The road will remain closed through October as the work continues, according to the Idaho Transportation Department.

“The sooner it’s done,” Goodlander said, “the happier we are going to be.”

Map: Northwest Blvd. Interchange