Getting There: Bike Swap raises $38,000 for Centennial Trail

The annual Spokane Bike Swap continues to grow in popularity, and that means more funding for improvements on the Centennial Trail.

Nearly 4,000 people attended the bike swap on April 11 and 12 at the Spokane County Fair and Expo Center.

The event raised $38,000 for the Friends of the Centennial Trail. The funds will go for projects to expand or maintain the Spokane River side of the trail, which runs for 37 1/2 miles from Lake Spokane to Stateline.

The trail is linked to the North Idaho Centennial Trail, which runs eastward to Higgens Point State Park on Lake Coeur d’Alene. The Washington and Idaho segments combined stretch about 60 miles.

The fourth annual bike swap had 58 exhibitors and more than 900 used bikes for sale. Attendees purchased 673 of those bikes.

That compares with 169 bikes sold during the first bike swap and 549 bikes sold last year, said LeAnn Yamamoto, event director.

Over the four years, the bike swap has raised $98,000 for the Centennial Trail. Last year’s event raised $30,000.

Those funds have helped with improvements at Gateway Park just west of Stateline and a trail extension in Nine Mile Falls from Sontag Park to Lake Spokane.

The bike swap funds also have been committed to making improvements to the trail at Mission Avenue. Another goal of the Friends organization is to improve segments of the trail next to traffic lanes, including the piece near Argonne Road along Upriver Drive.

The trail’s initial construction lasted from 1989 to 1991 and was named to commemorate Washington’s centennial in 1989.

The bike swap each year puts an emphasis on safety. More than 200 helmets were given away to young riders this year. In addition, 250 bike tail lights were given away during the Sunday portion of the event.

Bike swap organizers said they are looking for ways to expand the event for 2016.

“The need for a community event like this and the ability to raise the awareness for bicycling in our community is apparent from the support we have received from the community,” said Andy Ignacio, one of the event directors, in a news release last week.

HAWK lights up at Ruby, Grand

Two new “high-intensity crosswalk beacons,” otherwise known as HAWK lights, are being activated this week.

A newly installed signal at Ruby Street and Boone Avenue will go into service Tuesday.

A second new HAWK light will be activated Wednesday at Grand Boulevard and 18th Avenue at the northern end of Manito Park. Overhanging tree limbs were removed near the HAWK light to provide better visibility to drivers.

Pedestrians can trigger the lights to get traffic to stop, allowing safe crossings on the two busy arterial streets.

Hamilton Street at Gonzaga University has had a HAWK light in operation the past few years.

Unlike the GU light, which flashes yellow, the city’s two new lights will change from yellow to red, requiring all drivers to stop. However, drivers may proceed if pedestrians have cleared the crossing.

Paving to begin on Grand today

Starting today, a city paving crew will repair the portion of Grand Boulevard from 22nd to 29th avenues. The crew will grind out old pavement, which has become rutted through studded tire wear. A new layer of asphalt will be laid. Work will start on the northbound curb lane.

Traffic will likely be slowed through the construction zone. The plan calls for reducing Grand to one lane in each direction. The work is expected to take three to four weeks to complete.

Elsewhere in Spokane, Land Expressions is closing a drop-off area at the Convention Center for tree planting through June 12.

Avista Utilities is using a crane to change out electrical equipment at Stevens Street and Second Avenue.

Boone Avenue from Nettleton to Chestnut streets will have lane restrictions during installation of a new handicapped sidewalk ramp and other improvements as part of a citywide effort to increase accessibility to public transit. The $383,775 project is funded under a federal grant. That job should continue through June 12.

Highway work will cause delays

On Washington state highways, a pavement repair operation is taking place on U.S. Highway 2 from the Spokane County line to state Highway 211, a distance of 6 miles.

On U.S. Highway 195, an asphalt resurfacing job will cause traffic to be routed onto a single lane with alternating lines of vehicles directed by a pilot car. This job is from Babbitt Road to the south end of Pullman. Delays could be up to 20 minutes.

Also, single-lane alternating traffic will be in effect on state Highway 27 from Palouse to Garfield. Pavement cracks are being sealed.

State Highway 20 from Tiger to the Pend Oreille mill will have single-lane traffic in the vicinity of a bridge repair project.

To the west, Highway 20 may have delays of 20 minutes because of single-lane traffic guided by pilot cars. Workers are replacing curve signs on the west side of Sherman Pass.

On U.S. Highway 395, pavement crack sealing is causing traffic to be routed onto a single alternating lane from Boyds to the Canadian border.

Work continues at Argonne, Knox

In Spokane Valley, workers are continuing roadway reconstruction on Argonne Road at Knox Avenue. Traffic restrictions are in place.