Getting There: Freya project to smooth things over

My wife’s late grandfather, Walt Clothier, had a saying about the arterial in east Spokane that transports trucks and commuters from Interstate 90 north to Hillyard: “Freya is rough as a cob.”

While it’s too late to impress Walt, Spokane city streets officials have a few ideas that should make Freya Street more efficient and safer. In advance of a bridge reconstruction in 2009, crews will begin work today that will make it possible to eventually detour Freya traffic onto Broadway Avenue. As a result, commuters can expect lane restrictions until about early October, said Ken Brown, principal construction engineer for the city.

The work will eliminate the traffic signal at Springfield Avenue and move that intersection a block south onto Alki Avenue, Brown said. That intersection is just south of the bridge targeted for replacement.

“It allows us to have larger turn pockets and allows that signal to function much better,” Brown said. “We will flatten the grade on the bridge. That will make that intersection flow better and improve safety both on the bridge and at that intersection.”

As a result, commuters can expect one lane of Freya to be closed in each direction during construction hours, generally 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., city streets spokeswoman Ann Deasy said.

Broadway also will have lane closures, she said.

Maple closure coming

On the other side of town, crews were preparing late last week to open southbound Ash Street and doing advance work for the closure of Maple Street, a one-way northbound arterial, from Second Avenue to Northwest Boulevard, Brown said.

Prior to the expected closure Friday, commuters will see lane restrictions on Maple as asphalt is removed from around manhole covers and water structures, Brown said. One lane will remain open, but restrictions will change.

Ash could be open today from south of Northwest Boulevard to downtown. However, work continues at Ash and Northwest Boulevard.

As a result, southbound traffic on Ash will detour around the intersection at Northwest Boulevard until that work is completed in about a week, Brown said.

Poll made for walking

Two agencies are teaming up to develop a Regional Pedestrian Plan for Spokane County.

But the first step of the effort by the Spokane Regional Health District and Spokane Regional Transportation Council is getting information from ground-pounders, SRTC spokeswoman Staci Lehman said.

“The survey asks a little bit of everything. We want to know your habits, what keeps you from walking, what would get you to walk more and where you walk to,” Lehman said.

The effort started with Heleen Dewey, who heads the physical activity and nutrition program for the health district. Dewey applied for and received a $50,000 grant.

Information from the surveys will be the basis for the pedestrian plan that will in turn help guide city leaders and engineers to add pedestrian-friendly features to new projects, Lehman said.

However, developers would not be bound to follow the pedestrian plan. “We hope it will be more of an encouragement piece,” she said.

To participate in the Regional Pedestrian Plan survey, go to www.srtc.org.

Wall project delayed

Reconstruction of Wall Street from Greta Avenue north to Hawthorne Road has been delayed from June 23 to July 9.

However, crews will start Wednesday with lane closures along that route to install wheelchair access ramps at intersections, said Paul Lennemann, Spokane County’s construction engineer. Commuters can expect lane closures, he said.

The project calls for closing Wall from Greta north to Country Homes Boulevard for two weeks starting July 9. North of Country Homes, Wall will be closed to Hawthorne Road for three weeks, also starting July 9, Lennemann said.

Open and closed

While commuters north of Spokane will get some relief, others will face new restrictions, Lennemann said.

Work should be completed this week to allow traffic over the Little Spokane Bridge from 800 feet south of Golden Road to Midway Road. All crews have left to do is striping and shoulder work, Lennemann said.

However, work also will begin this week with closures at the intersection of Hastings and Mayfair roads. The three- or four-week project will convert the four-lane intersection to five lanes. The lane closest to the curb will be closed, Lennemann said.

Pass on Sherman

Crews are working on state Route 20 near Sherman Pass, about 10 miles east of Republic, said Al Gilson, spokesman for the Washington state Department of Transportation.

Much like the blowout that closed state Route 206 near Mount Spokane State Park, runoff has undermined some of the shoulders of state Route 20.

“Because that’s a narrow shoulder, crews will have equipment up there trying to put material down the slope and trying to build it back up,” Gilson said.

Shoulders will be closed where the washouts occurred. Despite lane restrictions, commuters should have no problems getting through, he said.

I-90 slowdowns

State crews will be working between the Geiger and Altamont exits of Interstate 90. There will be lane restrictions as drains are cleaned, Gilson said.

The work will be done between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. in the outside lanes of both the eastbound and westbound roadways, he said.

Valley obstructions

Crews will reduce Sullivan Road to one lane at Mission Avenue today from 6 a.m. to noon to replace asphalt. Flaggers will direct traffic through the project, Spokane Valley spokeswoman Carolbelle Branch said.

In addition, Mission Avenue at Sullivan Road will be closed today and Tuesday from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. for similar work. Traffic will be detoured along Progress Road to Broadway, Branch said.