Key north-south route will narrow
Another north-south Spokane driving route bites the dust Tuesday.
That’s when crews will begin $1.5 million worth of work to rebuild Greene Street near Spokane Community College.
Construction will run from the Spokane River Bridge to north of Mission Avenue. Traffic in that area will be reduced to one lane in each direction.
In addition to repaving the street with concrete, crews will also widen the sidewalks.
The Greene Street work is the second project to be funded by a $117 million street bond passed last fall by voters.
But what construction taketh away, it also giveth. Crestline Street is now back up to four lanes of traffic.
Coming soon
The Washington state Department of Transportation will start a $4.125 million project next week to resurface Division Street and the Newport Highway from Houston Avenue (just north of Francis), past the “Y” and up to Center Road.
The good news for drivers is that the bulk of the work will take place between 9 p.m. and 6:30 a.m.
Plans call for installation of fiber optic cables and some changes at the “Y.”
One new northbound and one new southbound lane will connect Division Street with the Newport Highway – a welcome addition for anyone who has been stuck in the single northbound lane now dedicated to that connection.
Business access will remain open throughout the project, which is expected to wrap up in late September.
Watch where you’re going
As if trying to drive through construction zones wasn’t perplexing enough, commuters traveling the Washington/Stevens corridor between downtown and the South Hill aren’t even sure where the lanes are.
“Coming downhill, there’s no lines, no signage. People just kind of drive wherever they want,” said Gary Foster, who lives on the South Hill and works downtown.
There are supposed to be two lanes coming down the hill on Washington, but without lines, many drivers don’t know that, Foster said. And that’s a safety issue.
John Miller, with the city of Spokane’s engineering department, said Friday that crews are planning to move traffic to the east side of Washington soon, but he didn’t know if that move includes striping.
The Eighth Avenue portion of the Washington arterial is closed from McClellan to Washington, and Washington is then reduced to two lanes to Third Avenue.
The high cost of driving
It’s not just Washington’s new 3-cent fuel tax increase that’s making driving more expensive.
As of July 1, the state raised several other driving-related fees.
Here’s a rundown:
Original license application was $10, now $20.
Instruction permit application/renewal was $15 now $20.
Commercial driver license application was $30, now $40.
Commercial driver license renewal, was $20, now $30.
And if you’ve messed up, the fees get even worse.
The cost of a DUI hearing request has doubled from $100 to $200, and to get your driver’s license reissued after it has been suspended will cost $75, up from $20.
Monorail update
Looks like the financing plan for this Seattle project has collapsed.
The Seattle Monorail Project Board decided last week that $9 billion in interest on a $2 billion project and about 50 years of vehicle taxes to support those charges just aren’t a good idea.
The project isn’t dead yet, but in mass transit parlance, it’s getting awfully close to being zapped on the third rail.
Fair warning
The Spokane Police Department’s traffic unit is conducting its weekly emphasis patrols along Oak Street and Elm Street between Francis and Wellesley avenues.
Seems some impatient folks have been speeding along these residential streets since Ash Street was closed for construction in the same area.
Shame, shame, shame.
Getting a ticket is going to take a lot longer than driving 25 mph would.
Slow going
The westbound Interstate 90 off-ramp at Argonne will be closed Saturday to install utility lines. Remember, the westbound Evergreen Road off- and on-ramps are still closed, too.
Wellesley Avenue will be closed Wednesday and Thursday at A Street for water main work. And A is closed between Wellesley and Hoffman for construction of a roundabout.
The Palouse Highway is closed from Valley Chapel Road to Dunn Road. A detour is in place.
Near Waverly, Hays Road and the Hays Road Bridge are now closed between Kentuckcq Trails Road and Prairie View Road until October.
Ash Street is closed between Francis and Wellesley. Traffic is detoured to Monroe.
Lincoln Street repairs are under way between 21st and 29th avenues. Expect lane closures.
Third Avenue is under construction in downtown Spokane.
Government Way is reduced to one lane in some areas and is still slow-going in the area of Spokane Falls Community College while crews finish installation of a water main.
Regal Street is under construction from 38th Avenue south to the city limits.
Park Road is closed from Trent Avenue to Rutter Avenue for a sewer project.
Fourth Avenue is closed between University and Farr Road for Sherwood Forest sewer work.
Highway 395 evening construction between Colville and the Columbia River will require single-lane traffic and pilot cars. Expect to wait up to 15 minutes to get through the 11-mile section.