Valley lays groundwork to fix intersection
The daily traffic jam in the area of Pines Road and Mansfield Avenue became less sticky Tuesday.
The Spokane Valley City Council approved the groundwork for a road project that should ease congestion there. Under state law, that had to happen before a number of landowners could move forward with various building projects – including some that have been waiting six years. Seven developers agreed to give a total of $450,000 to get the road work rolling, and the city upped its contribution to as much as $105,000, up from $55,000.
“It’s been a long, arduous road,” Councilman Dick Denenny said. “I cannot tell you how happy I am to see that it will come to fruition.”
The congestion is caused by a complicated intersection near the Interstate 90 interchange at Pines. There are two sets of stoplights and a railroad track within a block. During rush hour, traffic heading south on Pines backs up at the lights, and the jam worsens when a train passes.
The backups cause problems for drivers turning left onto Pines from Mansfield Avenue, which is just north of the double intersection.
The exact solution hasn’t been designed, but it will involve improving the lighting in the double intersection and installing a light at Mansfield, Public Works Director Neil Kersten said. A light also will be added farther north, at the intersection of Pines and Mirabeau Parkway, and eventually the tracks will be removed as part of a larger project called Bridging the Valley, he said.
Fixing the traffic problems will cost almost $4 million. The funding was in place a few weeks ago, until two of the developers wanted out.
One, Centennial Properties, had already given the city its money, but was protesting the details of the arrangement. The city fixed the problem by creating what’s called an “assessment reimbursement area.” Under the deal, the landowners have to pay a certain amount to fix the road problem before they are allowed to build.
The council passed an ordinance Tuesday that defines such arrangements, so there will be a quick fix if predicaments like this pop up in the future, council members said.
Centennial Properties, which is owned by the same company that owns The Spokesman-Review, rejoined the project Tuesday.
The city still lacks commitments from two other landowners. Thomas Hamilton was expected to give $88,000 and J. Grant Person was to give $5,159, Kersten said.
Deputy Mayor Richard Munson complimented the city’s staff for finding a solution at “lightning speed” – compared to how slowly government usually operates, he said. The issue had been in Spokane County’s hands before it landed in Spokane Valley’s when the city formed in 2003.
One of the projects that’s expected to move forward now is Incyte Pathology’s new office building. Incyte poured a foundation in December, but has been denied a building permit because of the intersection.
“As government moves, it was fairly quick, but obviously for us we had to shut down for two months,” said Terri Montano, chief operating officer of the company.
Wayne Frost, of Centennial Properties, spoke with cautious optimism after the council’s action.
“I hope when Incyte Pathology goes in tomorrow morning to get a building permit, they’ll get it,” he said. Centennial Properties sold land to Incyte Pathology and agreed to see them through this process. If Munson’s final comments on the topic were any indication, the ink on that permit could already be dry. “Let the building begin,” he proclaimed after a forceful smack of the gavel.
Residents in one neighborhood nearby are sure to object to that, though. They’ve already organized to fight a housing development proposed by one of the landowners.