Spokane’s ulterior motive

Spokane made the original plan to complete the Centennial Trail’s (CT) “Summit Gap” many years ago. It required a “shared use path” be built along Summit Boulevard to connect existing CT sections on both sides at North Pettet Drive (“Doomsday Hill”) and West Boone Avenue.

However, in 2017, Spokane acquired the “Three Islands” natural area directly across the river with a Conservation Futures purchase. It extends south to another Spokane-owned natural area, the Summit Boulevard Parkway. Both have existing dirt roadways that connect with the CT at T.J. Meenach Bridge and Boone.

Furthermore, Spokane’s Bicycle Master Plan includes those routes with a connecting bridge that links that new section with the existing CT, bypassing the current deviant excursion across Meenach Bridge, up Doomsday Hill and … along Summit.

So why does Spokane’s government persist in pursuing the obsolete “Summit Gap” project when an alternate CT route through city-owned, adjacent natural areas is already planned? Because they have an ulterior motive: They really just want a Class 1 bicycle expressway from northwest Spokane to downtown.

The maps in the city’s Bicycle Master Plan tell the story. The first one shows the planned new CT route with bridge through those natural areas. The second map shows the “Summit Gap” has a current “Bicycle Level of Traffic Stress” (LTS) rating of 3 for “Higher Stress” (dangerous). Building a CT section there would drop the LTS to 1 (safest).

But it’s a fraud to justify it as a “Centennial Trail” project now.

Bob Strong

Spokane