Construction work in area planned through summer

Summer in Spokane Valley always means dodging a few construction cones.

This summer is no exception. Numerous projects have already started and several more will get going before the end of the summer. Here’s what to expect:

• Interstate 90 construction will continue throughout the summer. The highway is being widened and will get a new layer of concrete between Argonne and Sullivan Roads.

Additionally, there will be paving work on some of the I-90 ramps between Sullivan and the Idaho state line. The ramp work will likely start in early July, said Department of Transportation spokesman Al Gilson. There will be some overnight ramp closures, but no lane restrictions during the days and on weekends, Gilson said.

“We’re doing our best to minimize the impact to the traveling public,” Gilson said.

Crews will install a cable guardrail along the median between Sullivan and the state line to help reduce the number and severity of crossover crashes, Gilson said.

• Work to widen Evergreen Road between Fourth and 16th avenues is nearing completion. The paving work should finish up in the next couple of weeks, according to Spokane Valley.

The design and construction costs are approximately $2.5 million. Of that, Spokane Valley’s share is $400,000. State matching grants usually pay for the majority of local road projects.

Evergreen should be open by early July, according to city engineers.

• Work has also begun on 16th Avenue. The road will be widened to two lanes with a center turn lane between Dishman-Mica Road and Highway 27.

The widening project should be finished by early October.

• Work continues on the Argonne Bridge over the Spokane River. Both sides of the bridge are being replaced as part of the project. The four lane bridge should re-open by Thanksgiving, said Paul Lennemann, construction engineer for Spokane County. In the meantime, one lane remains open in each direction.

• A pedestrian safety grant will help Spokane Valley install sidewalks along two stretches of roadway near several schools. Sidewalks will go in along South Bowdish Road between approximately 20th and 24th avenues and along the adjacent 24th Avenue from Bowdish to Pines.

Spokane Valley will pay $40,000 of the $200,000 project.

The city has all the right-of-way it needs to build the sidewalks, said Steve Worley, Spokane Valley’s senior engineer. The construction is to begin in August and take approximately three weeks.

• Park Road will be widened to three lanes with sidewalks between Second and Eighth avenues.

Spokane Valley still needs additional right-of-way for the $1 million project. The city’s share will be $150,000. Work is scheduled to start near the end of July and will take through the end of the construction season. Traffic will likely be detoured during the project.

• A traffic light will go in at Sullivan Road and Fourth Avenue before the end of the summer.

• The DOT continues to install cameras along I-90 in the Valley as part of its Intelligent Transportation System. The cameras and message boards allow transportation officials to provide a better picture of I-90 traffic to drivers. Video will be broadcast on the department’s Web site www.wsdot.wa.gov/ regions/Eastern/.The cameras should be installed by the end of the summer, Gilson said.

• There are several sewer projects that will be done this summer. Expect neighborhood streets to be closed to through traffic, but open for local access. All arterials remain open. After the sewer lines are put in, the roads will be repaved from curb to curb.