Indiana Avenue in front of Spokane Valley Mall to be closed for construction this summer

Shoppers who normally drive on Indiana Avenue to get to the Spokane Valley Mall will have to take a detour this summer as the city repairs the road and changes the traffic island at the mall’s west entrance.

Indiana Avenue between Evergreen and Sullivan roads is in need of repairs, storm water improvements and better disability access, said project manager Erica Amsden in a presentation to the Spokane Valley City Council last week. The project also will change the entrance between Buffalo Wild Wings and IHOP, which has had 13 left-turn collisions, including one fatality in the past five years.

The city project, which will cost about $3.16 million, will close Indiana for most of late spring and into summer. The city will close Indiana for construction in sections, but the timeline for those construction phases has not been finalized, Amsden said.

Shoppers will still be able to use the entrance on Evergreen during construction.

One of the biggest changes that will affect future traffic is the elimination of one of the left-turn lanes at the west mall entrance. Drivers now can turn left from two lanes, and once the repairs are done, there will be one left-turn lane and one right-turn lane. The city is installing a temporary barrier, which can be removed during peak holiday traffic if there are flaggers to make sure the intersection is safe.

A few council members, including Councilwoman Brandi Peetz, were concerned by the temporary barrier, saying the city should do what it can to make sure the intersection is a permanent solution to traffic issues.

“I just want to make sure it’s safe and works, not just for the holidays, but all year round,” she said.

Peetz, who said she goes to the mall often, said she had some concerns, but would support whatever city engineers recommended.

The city also is planning to remove a bump-out, which forces drivers onto Indiana directly before the Interstate 90 on-ramp to switch lanes if they intend to continue, but not drive onto the interstate. Once the bump out is removed, drivers will be able to stay in that lane and continue even if they are not merging onto the freeway.

Spokane Valley Mall Manager Daryl Rheingans said the construction will be a minor inconvenience for shoppers and mall employees. He called the project a needed improvement.

Rheingans said he would keep mall businesses updated with the city’s plans.

The city will open bids for the project on March 20.