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

Footbridge near Regal back in business

Collision closed route linking north, south sides of I-90

A key transportation link between the residential core of the East Central Neighborhood and businesses north of Interstate 90 has reopened after being severed for the past three weeks.

Drivers may not have even noticed the problem. But those who get around on foot had to hoof it a bit farther after an over-height truck on I-90 smashed into the pedestrian bridge near Regal Street.

“I saw the damage, and it was like, wow,” said Joy Hart, chairwoman of the East Central Neighborhood Council.

The collision seriously damaged the structure, forcing its closure and pushing pedestrians to the heavily trafficked auto bridges at Thor and Altamont instead.

Washington State Department of Transportation crews fixed the problem earlier this week, but the closure points out serious gaps in pedestrian facilities in the neighborhood.

Other transportation officials are working on expanding the ways people can get around the East Central Neighborhood and Spokane by foot and bike.

“The structure took a pretty big hit. It lost about a quarter of its rebar in that spot,” said Glen Scroggins, the state’s bridge preservation supervisor.

Scroggins said the rebar will need replacing and that the bridge also required extensive patching. The state will pursue the truck’s insurance policy to pay for the repairs.

“It’s been hit numerous times over its life,” Scroggins said.

Local Washington State Department of Transportation spokesman Al Gilson said there’s no way to estimate the number of people who use the pedestrian bridge, but the only other freeway crossings in its vicinity are a half-mile in either direction.

Sheridan Elementary School students living north of the freeway are already bused to school, so they weren’t impacted by the closure. Still others use the bridge to quickly travel between housing on the south side of the freeway and shops on Sprague Avenue on the north side of the freeway.

“The fact that something is down really limits what’s available for pedestrians right now,” said Eve Nelson with the Spokane Regional Transportation Council while the bridge was closed.

Nelson works on projects to improve biking and walking in Spokane County.

“Some of our goals are to enhance safety for pedestrians,” she said.

Nelson has been working on a “Smart Routes” plan that will enhance existing trails and build new ones throughout the city.

In the East Central Neighborhood, the plan calls for extending the Ben Burr Trail from Liberty Park under the freeway and on to the Centennial Trail.

Local leaders are hoping to win federal funding for the overall plan of $30 million in projects stretching across the city and into Spokane Valley.

The Ben Burr portion, which includes a bridge over the Spokane River, would cost about $3 million.