STA projects to affect operations at Plaza, Jefferson park and ride
A pair of Spokane Transit Authority construction projects will affect operations at two well-used locations – the downtown bus Plaza and the Jefferson park-and-ride lot.
Second phase of plaza renovation set to begin
A second phase in the long-planned renovation of the Plaza is set to begin Monday. The project involves placing rider services on the first floor with new restrooms and a relocated escalator. Plans call for the two cougar sculptures to be relocated to the new escalator, but no water fountain.
Walker Construction Inc. won a $3.5 million bid for the project earlier this year. With engineering and design, the total cost will be $4.95 million.
The first phase of the project involved building new security offices and other work.
As part of the second phase:
The Sprague Avenue doors will be closed, but bus loading and unloading will continue at the same locations. Access will be from Riverside Avenue or Wall Street.
The Plaza will close at 8 p.m. daily.
Temporary restrooms will be placed at the southeast corner of the building.
Riders and others will continue to have access to the second floor.
The project is designed to give people using waiting areas inside the Plaza better views of outdoor loading and unloading, including the Sprague Avenue side.
New electronic signs with real-time bus arrival and departure information will be installed.
The first-floor rotunda is being made available for lease as commercial space, but any future tenant would have to make leasehold improvements.
The Plaza was built in 1995 and has been controversial over the years as a hub of transit operations, first for its construction cost – nearly $20 million, rather than the $12 million STA projected when the agency announced it – and more recently for complaints by some downtown business owners that it’s a magnet for “problem behavior.”
The construction project makes good on a promise by STA dating back to 2008 to enhance the rider and customer experience at the Plaza. The project was delayed during the recession, STA said.
Work begins
on Jefferson lot
Work has started at the Jefferson Street park-and-ride lot beneath the Interstate 90 viaduct, the STA’s busiest such facility. The project calls for building a new transit loading platform at the west end of the lot and installing real-time bus information on arrivals and departures. In addition, new security cameras, benches and bike racks will be added.
The total cost of the project is $388,000, which is below an earlier budget estimate of $554,000.
Work should be finished later this summer before fall classes start at Eastern Washington University. The lot is used extensively by students, faculty and staff to commute to and from the Cheney campus.
Additional parking slots for handicapped drivers will be added. Broken concrete is being repaired and the pavement will get a seal coat with new parking lot striping.
The park and ride averages 6,622 parked vehicles monthly during the main part of the school year.
While work is underway:
Temporary parking is available along Fourth Avenue between Cedar and Walnut streets.
Outbound buses to Cheney and Medical Lake have been rerouted downtown along Second Avenue and then Cedar to Fourth.
A temporary stop is set up at Fourth and Cedar.