Undaunted by detour

When business owners located at Sprague Avenue and Sullivan Road learned the intersection would be completely closed for three weeks, they collectively cringed and worried about their bottom lines. But after more than a week of closure, most are saying that it’s really not as bad as they had feared.

“We’re doing OK,” said Hastings counter team lead Tina Staples. “It’s not that bad.” Sales are about what they would expect for hot summer days. “Luckily they kept our two main exits open.”

“We expected it to be a lot worse,” said Ace Hardware manager Beverley Osterwyk. “They’ve made it pretty easy to get to us. We’ve been pleased that it’s worked out halfway good.”

Spokane Valley engineer Steve Worley said construction is on schedule. “As of (Tuesday), all the underground work is complete,” he said. If a project gets delayed, it is usually because of an unexpected problem with the underground work, he said. “We are scheduled to open on or before Monday the ninth of August.”

Only the intersection itself is closed with access to all the area businesses still open. Through traffic is being detoured on Broadway Avenue, Conklin Road, Fourth Avenue and Adams Road. The access allows people to get to the businesses, but it is also creating a problem, Osterwyk said. People are speeding through the parking lot as a shortcut to move around the intersection. There’s a steady stream of cars through the parking lot, just as there is through the Fred Meyer, Walgreen’s and Hastings parking lots. Cars could be seen crossing the lots diagonally, trying to get through as quickly as possible.

Osterwyk seems resigned to the short-cut drivers. “I’ll just be glad when it’s over.”

Spokane Valley City Council member Dean Grafos expressed concern in May about the impact a three-week closure would have on local businesses and lobbied to have the intersection partially closed for eight weeks instead. He also called local business owners and asked them to speak against the project at a council meeting and circulated a petition calling the three-week closure bad for business.

One of the business owners who came to City Hall to complain was Chris Clark of Lloyd’s Tire and Automotive. He worried that the loss of traffic going by would hurt his business, but now he’s changed his mind. “It’s not as bad as I expected,” he said. “Business is going just fine.”

His walk-in business is down a bit, but that’s all. “I thought it was just going to kill us, but people are finding their way through. Traffic flows pretty good here.”

The owners of Jacobs’ Upholstery also came to City Hall to complain, but co-owner Darby Jacobs now said that his numbers are actually up a bit thanks to being more of a “destination” type of business. “I’ve been getting about the same amount of traffic,” he said. “People are finding me.”

Even the Zip’s Restaurant just east of the intersection is finding smoother then expected sailing, with business only down about 10 percent, said assistant manager Brandi Lewis. “We thought it was going to be worse than it has been,” she said. “I think everyone is just realizing they can cut through Fred Meyers. Traffic is still flowing like usual.”

Grafos said he hasn’t had time to contact business owners to check on how the project is going for them, but seemed pleased to hear that some are managing well. “Hopefully it’s going to work out just fine,” he said. “Everything seems to be running smoothly. Hopefully we’ll get that intersection opening up within three weeks.”

Grafos said he’s also seen plenty of drivers taking short-cuts and worries that there may be an accident. “I have seen quite a few cars cutting through those parking lots,” he said. “One of the big concerns is the safety of the public.”