Bonus aims to speed roadwork

Finishing early will mean a sweet bonus for contractors on two Spokane street projects this year, and less aggravation for drivers.

The city of Spokane is offering incentives to the contractors repaving 29th Avenue and working on the west side water main project running from Inland Empire Way and Ninth Avenue to Third Avenue and Maple Street.

For each day carved off the $2.7 million 29th Avenue project, the contractor will earn $5,000, up to a maximum of $50,000. For the $1.6 million water main project, the bonus is $3,000 per day up to $30,000.

The goal is to get traffic running on highly traveled arterials as soon as possible.

“It’s our expectation that most people would like to see that project done as quickly as possible,” said city design engineer Ken Brown.

But not everyone feels that way. South Hill neighborhood activist Richard Rush questions using citywide tax money to make life more convenient for one neighborhood.

Rush, who has been fighting to protect Bernard Street trees, said that such money could be better spent protecting neighborhood character over the long term by saving trees.

The early completion incentive plan is nothing new. The city used it for last year’s Third Avenue project and for the Freya Way Bridge project.

And with the Washington State Department of Transportation’s viaduct repair project scheduled for this summer, it’s more imperative that the west side water project be completed early to avoid complicating what will surely be an already bad traffic situation downtown.

The city of Spokane is stretching its street bond-issue dollars on the water project by combining street repairs with water system needs. The city’s water utility will pay about half the project cost.

Nighttime gridlock

Hope the scenic route is your style.

Drivers need to prepare for delays this week if traveling on Interstate 90 in or near Coeur d’Alene.

Traffic will be detoured around the Government Way bridge project for three nights, starting Tuesday.

The detours will begin at 10 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and last until 5 a.m. the following mornings.

Westbound traffic will be funneled onto Appleway at the Fourth Street exit and will return to the freeway at the U.S. Highway 95 interchange.

Eastbound drivers will remain on the freeway but will be restricted to one lane.

The Idaho Department of Transportation has been building a bridge at Government Way since last summer. It is scheduled to open in September.

The $2.7 million project is necessary because the old bridge over I-90 was too low, resulting in several instances in which trucks became stuck underneath, damaging the bridge.

Closed crossing

The U.S.-Canadian border crossing on U.S. 95 at Eastport will be closed Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The closure is needed for rail repairs.

Detours will be marked.

Spare us

Automakers are abandoning the spare tire.

Turns out that trunk space is just much more valuable as storage for CD changers and DVD players.

A Wall Street Journal story last week on the trend reported that many manufacturers now equip cars with run-flat tires instead of spares. These tires can run for 50 to 125 miles after being punctured – conceivably long enough to make it to the repair shop.

Trouble is they are more expensive – sometimes twice as much.

General Motors, Honda, Volvo and Toyota are all eliminating spare tires in some of their cars or charging more for them.

Slow going

Sweeping on I-90 between Argonne and Hamilton may cause slowdowns today from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Inland Empire Way traffic is detoured onto Seventh Avenue, Sixth and then Walnut in west Spokane.

Freya Street may be restricted to one lane at times this week between Hartson and 30th Avenue for Avista power pole work.

Crestline lanes are restricted between Francis and Lincoln.

Nine Mile Road drivers take note: The speed limit from Woodside Avenue to Rifle Club Road has been reduced from 50 mph to 30 mph.

Watch out for joggers near Spokane Falls Community College on Saturday mornings until Bloomsday.

Mullan is closed between Appleway and Sprague and a detour is in place.

In Post Falls, the corners of Fisher Avenue and Howell Road and Fisher Avenue and Serenity Avenue will be closed today from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for sewer hook-up work for the Meadow Ridge subdivision. Traffic will be detoured around the site.