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

Maple Street will be partially closed

Thomas Clouse Staff writer

Getting to north Spokane has become a lot more complicated.

Crews last week shut down Maple Street from First Avenue to Boone Street. Today they close Maple from Boone to Northwest Boulevard.

Ash Street is open southbound from Boone Street to Second Avenue, but the intersection of Northwest Boulevard and Ash probably won’t be completed until Tuesday, weather permitting, said Ken Brown, principal construction engineer for the city.

When that happens, the route from north Spokane to downtown will be clear. However, northbound lanes of Maple will be closed until August, Brown said.

More West Central headaches

As if the West Central neighborhood needed more traffic woes, work on the Belt Street project is under way.

The work involves reconstruction of Belt and Cannon streets from Montgomery to Broadway avenues. It also includes repaving Indiana Avenue from Hemlock to Ash streets; Knox Avenue from Belt to Cul-de-sac; Mansfield Avenue from Belt to Elm streets; Montgomery from Nettleton Street to Belt; Nora from Hemlock to Ash; and Shannon Avenue from Hemlock to Elm.

“We will leave Indiana and Belt functional until we get further down the road,” Brown said. “It looks like it’s scheduled for completion about Sept. 1.”

While some streets will be closed, they should be easy to avoid, Brown said.

Good news hits Wall

Work on Wall Street from Wellesley to Francis avenues is ahead of schedule, Brown said.

Contractors were completing concrete work on Friday and were installing islands and striping.

“I believe it will be open this week, weather permitting,” Brown said. “The only thing that may delay the opening would be signage. If the signs aren’t ready, we won’t open it.”

Freya starts today

After a week delay caused by conflicts over utilities, crews will start today on the project that will make it possible to move Freya traffic onto Broadway Avenue. That move will be necessary to replace the Freya Street bridge in 2009.

“Avista doesn’t have their poles moved yet. So (Monday) we will proceed full bore. It won’t be on Freya. It will be on the side streets instead. Then we will come back and do Freya once the poles are out of the way,” Brown said.

The work will eliminate the traffic signal at Springfield Avenue and move it a block south onto Alki Avenue, Brown said. That intersection is just south of the bridge targeted for replacement. As a result, commuters can expect lane restrictions until early October.

When work begins on Freya, a lane will be closed in each direction crews during construction hours, generally 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Broadway also will have lane closures. I-90 ramp closed today

Travelers in Idaho should watch for closure of the westbound exit off of Interstate 90 at state Highway 41 in Post Falls, said Barbara Babic, spokeswoman for the Idaho Transportation Department.

Southbound traffic on Highway 41 entering the interstate will not be affected. .

The closure will run from 7 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. Message boards are in place to direct traffic to the Seltice or Spokane Boulevard exits, she said.

“It’s part of the resurfacing project on the interstate,” she said. “The crews are working right there on the bridge.”

The project to resurface I-90 from Coeur d’Alene west to the state line should be completed by the end of summer.

Spokane Valley work begins

Spokane Valley officials want to make sure residents of the 24th Avenue and Vera Crest Drive area plan for upcoming road closures. On June 30, 24th Avenue will be closed from east of Sullivan Road to Vera Crest Drive. “The detours will add about three or four minutes for those who regularly use 24th Avenue and Vera Crest Drive,” said Craig Aldworth, the senior engineer and project manager.

Commuters should be aware of several projects that could cause delays in Spokane Valley, city spokeswoman Carolbelle Branch said in a news release.

Montgomery Avenue between Argonne and University roads will be reduced to one lane in each direction from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. this week. Flaggers will direct traffic through the area, Branch said.

Also, Park Road will be closed 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. this week just south of Broadway Avenue. Park Road will open for the weekend, but closed again June 30 to July 2, Branch said.

Wellesley Avenue from McDonald to Progress roads wil be closed 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. through Friday for sewer work. Traffic will be restricted to local access only after 7 p.m., Branch said, and signed detours will be in place. Still seeking input

More input is needed for use in a Regional Pedestrian Plan for the Spokane area.

The Spokane Regional Transportation Council, city and Spokane Regional Health District are sponsoring the survey at www.srtc.org. The deadline to participate is today.