City OKs street work in West Central area

More street work is about to get under way on the North Side after the council on Tuesday approved two contracts for West Broadway Avenue and for street repaving along North Belt Street and adjacent residential streets.

Schimmels Construction of Spokane was the top bidder at $284,000 to install street enhancements along West Broadway Avenue east and west from its intersection with Ash Street as part of an effort to encourage redevelopment in the West Central Neighborhood business area.

The first phase of revitalization is part of an ongoing effort to improve the economy and business climate along the aging commercial district. The total cost is $380,000, and the project will add street trees, period lighting, a decorative sidewalk and other amenities.

Funding came through a $60,000 grant from federal community development money for the West Central Neighborhood and a state transportation enhancement grant of $320,000.

The idea is to encourage further investments in the commercial area which has classic old brick buildings that date back to the turn of the 20th century.

“In other action, the council approved Murphy Bros. Inc. of Spokane as the lowest bidder on a $1.27 million job to repair streets in northwest Spokane under a $117 million, 10-year street bond issue.

The work involves rehabilitation or repaving of Belt Street from Nora to Montgomery avenues; Buell Court from Hemlock Street to Montgomery; Indiana Avenue from Hemlock to Ash streets; Knox Avenue from Belt to Cul-de-sac; Mansfield Avenue from Belt to Elm Street; Montgomery from Nettleton Street to Belt; Nora from Hemlock to Ash; and Shannon Avenue from Hemlock to Elm. The project also includes replacement of a 12-inch water line.

The rehabilitation of streets will include a combination of grinding and overlaying the top layer of asphalt as well as some full depth curb-to-curb rehabilitation, said Ann Deasy, spokeswoman for the city’s 10-year street rehabilitation project.