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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

First city street project may start in mid-June

Spokane city staffers are gearing up this spring to start spending a $117 million street improvement bond measure approved by voters last fall.

One of the first projects is reconstruction of Ash and Maple streets from Wellesley Avenue north to Cedar Road.

Tom Arnold, director of engineering services, told City Council members Monday that work on that major north-south corridor could begin by mid-June.

He said plans for this summer also include rebuilding Greene Street along Spokane Community College.

In all, about 110 miles of arterials and residential streets will be repaired under a 10-year work schedule.

That’s in addition to other street projects funded through state and federal grants.

On Monday, Arnold asked the City Council for budget authority to hire seven new city staffers to work on developing street bond and utility projects at a cost of about $420,000 a year.

Five of those positions would be financed from bond issue funds. The jobs would last for the 10 years of scheduled work. Two of the jobs would be paid for by city utilities.

The council approved the spending request in a 6-1 vote with Councilman Bob Apple voting no.

Apple said he is not convinced the city needs seven new employees to work on streets and other projects.

“I just don’t see the need for so many new engineering people,” Apple said.

Arnold explained that the new employees will work on design, inspections, contract management and public information for the projects.

Included in the hiring is a public information coordinator.

Also being hired is a materials engineer, who will make sure that all new pavements are high quality. “The accountability of this program is absolutely paramount,” Arnold said.

Each of the rebuilt arterial streets will be redesigned, in part to smooth grades at intersections. Currently, many arterials are designed with center crowns extending into the arterial from adjoining side streets.

That type of design creates large bumps and dips in the outer lanes, Arnold said. The new designs will eliminate the crowns from side streets, making the rebuilt arterials easier to drive.

Also, arterials will be excavated and new road beds built beneath the pavement to ensure longer life.

Some of the design work will be handled through contracts with private companies, Arnold said.

In a related action, the council approved a new policy on utility excavations and patching.

The policy was developed in conjunction with Spokane County and private utilities.

The policy will require complete repaving of half or full roadways if utility excavations are made within three years of new road construction. On major arterials, the patch must be at least one lane in width if the road surface is four to 12 years old. Utilities will have to provide a warranty that the patch will not fail for five years on streets that are 10 years old or less and three years for other streets.

In other business, the council approved additional funding for attorney Craig Trueblood of Preston Gates Ellis to represent the city in its negotiations with the state Department of Ecology over how much phosphorus the city can discharge into the Spokane River from its sewage treatment plant.

The council had previously approved spending up to $75,000 for Trueblood’s work.

Monday’s action allows the city administration to spend as much as $80,000 more for representation.