Getting There: Evergreen to undergo major work in summer

Evergreen Road in south Spokane Valley is going to see major improvements this summer with installation of a new water line and reconstruction of the roadway.

People who live along Evergreen or drive it regularly are invited to attend a public open house on Thursday from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Vera Water & Power board room, 601 N. Evergreen Road.

The project this summer is a cooperative effort of Spokane Valley and the water district.

Its effect on property owners and drivers will be discussed.

As part of the project, crews will remove fencing and landscaping that were privately installed on the public right of way, according to Spokane Valley officials.

Plans for dealing with the yard features will be a part of the meeting talk.

The proposed roadway improvements involve resurfacing Evergreen with asphalt pavement from 16th to 24th avenues and reconstruction of Evergreen with asphalt pavement from 24th to 32nd avenues.

In addition, 32nd will be improved for 600 feet to the east of Evergreen.

A northbound left turn lane will be added on Evergreen at 24th avenue.

Two southbound left turn lanes on Evergreen will be installed at 24th and 32nd.

Improvements for non-motorized uses are part of the work.

Existing sidewalks on the east side of Evergreen will be connected to one another between 24th and 32nd.

A minimum 5-foot bike lane is going in on both sides of Evergreen between 16th and 32nd.

Officials described the last two pieces of the project as safety improvements.

Cost and financing details were not immediately available.

For more information, contact project manager Craig Aldworth at (509) 720-5001 or at caldworth@spokane valley.org.

Construction work to replace deteriorating sections of concrete pavement on Interstate 90 between Cle Elum and Easton resumed last week after a winter shutdown.

ICON Materials of Pacific, Wash., will be imposing daytime lane restrictions until Memorial Day and again after Labor Day.

During the summer months between those holidays, lane closures will be at night so that daytime vacation traffic will have the full four lanes for use.

The inconvenience of lane closures will be worth the improvements in the multiyear project. The old concrete panels were bumpy, transportation officials said.

To the east, work resumes later this spring on a project to widen I-90 from Hyak to Keechelus Dam, including removal of rock cliffs and construction of a new snow shed to protect winter traffic from snow slides.

That is a $551 million project that will continue until 2017.

Appleway project

The city of Spokane Valley will begin a resurfacing project on Appleway Boulevard between Dishman-Mica and University roads today that will include lane closures. Work on the road is expected to last until April 14, and lanes will be closed around the clock. There will be signs and flaggers in place to direct traffic. Drivers will still be able to access local businesses, senior engineer Ken Knutson said.

The resurfacing project is being done under the city’s annual street maintenance contract with Poe Asphalt, Knutson said.

Stoneman to close

Work on a new Parksmith Drive interchange for the North Spokane Corridor is going to force closure of Stoneman Road between Market Street and the BNSF Railway tunnel. The closure could start as early as today.

Traffic will be detoured to Peone Road. Hawthorne Road is also open as an alternate route through the construction zone.

Al Gilson, spokesman for the Washington State Department of Transportation in Spokane, said the closure is a long-term measure for the interchange project.

Valley traffic school

Drivers who get citations in Spokane Valley can sign up for traffic school at either the Spokane Public Safety Building or at a District Court office at the Spokane Valley Police Station, 12710 E. Sprague Ave.

The Spokane Valley court clerk is open for enrollments from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays.

Taking the traffic school allows a violator to avoid having the citation placed on a driving record, officials said.

Service links Quincy

Rail Logistics-Cold Train is teaming up with Interstate Distributor Co. to create a fleet of trucks for short-haul service to and from the Port of Quincy Intermodal Terminal.

The service links Columbia Basin farm and processing operations with the cross-country rail service through the terminal.