Required traffic study delays new Alton’s

Plans to build an Alton’s Tire store in Airway Heights have hit a bump in the road.

According to co-owner Matt Alton, the company is waiting for the results of a traffic study, which will be reviewed by the Washington State Department of Transportation. The report will determine whether the business can have two driveways, one accessing U.S. Highway 2 and one accessing Hayford Road. Currently there is one access for either street.

Alton owns 10 acres on the busy southwest corner. The property is in both Airway Heights and Spokane County. Alton said the original plan was to begin construction on June, but that was before a traffic study was required.

He doesn’t know when the findings will be ready. The company already canceled a $300,000 purchase order, Alton said.

The tire store will be built on about 1.5 acres. Alton said the company will sell the remaining property and that there is no “phase two plan” in the works.

There are 12 Alton’s stores in the Inland Northwest.

Lights, action, video

Movie Gallery, a video store franchise primarily located in rural areas, is opening in a store in Airway Heights on Friday.

The store is in the 12600 block of U.S. Highway 2.

Mary Cantrell, a Movie Gallery regional manager, there will be one full-time floor manager and 10 to 12 part-time workers employed at the store.

A grand opening, featuring a radio station and prizes, is set for Aug. 7.

There are 2,200 Movie Gallery stores in the United States and Canada, including stores in Deer Park, Colville and Sandpoint.