Legislative leaders from Spokane are scaling back plans in the latest effort to steer money to the next phase of the north-south freeway project. Reality dictates this move. The money simply won’t be available from the feds, the state or local taxpayers for the more ambitious eight-lane plan.

State Sens. Lisa Brown and Chris Marr and Rep. Timm Ormsby asked civil engineers to return to the drawing board for the three-mile stretch between Francis Avenue and the Spokane River. They obliged by erasing four lanes, retaining walls and an interchange. They also brought expensive underground sections to the surface. When they were finished, the project penciled out at an estimated $285 million, rather than $720 million.

If funded and completed on time, the new section would connect with the 5.5 mile portion to the north, giving motorists 8.5 miles of uninterrupted travel in 2015. It’s appealing to think of an eight- to 10-minute drive across town rather than today’s stop-and-go slog. That’s also a much better option than idling for who knows how long in the hopes that money will be suddenly bestowed upon a project first proposed in 1946.

Last January, it looked as if funds could be shaken loose with a variety of strategies. But upon closer examination, those ideas were picked off one by one.

Tolling gave way to the reality that there were too many alternate routes. The possibility of a $20 tax on annual car tabs was floated, but many local leaders said they would rather use the money to maintain and repair current roads.

So, in the words of Sen. Marr, the new idea is to build a Chevy instead of a Cadillac. The skinnier freeway would be large enough for today’s capacity while securing the right-of-way necessary to expand in the future.

However, if the community still hopes to connect Interstate 90 to the freeway, it would still need to find $1 billion for the final stretch. Perhaps, having actual pavement to drive on would serve as a catalyst to obtain the remaining funds. Perhaps the governor can persuade the feds to help, if Congress and the new president go forward with an economy-priming infrastructure spending spree.

Regardless, the scaled-back design is better than nothing. The eight-lane freeway was not going to get built anytime soon.

Let’s hope the state Legislature and Gov. Chris Gregoire agree to reward this creative sacrifice with immediate approval, so that construction crews can get moving.