Getting There: Greenway project kicks off on Pacific Avenue next spring

Four years after the project was announced, the first of two phases of pedestrian and cyclist improvements kicks off next construction season on the Pacific Avenue Greenway in downtown Spokane.

The proposal, from the city of Spokane, is to build a neighborhood greenway on Pacific Avenue and two blocks of alley between Howard and Sherman streets, an area that city officials say has a concerning pattern of pedestrian collisions.

In that area, Pacific crosses Browne and Division streets, which are busy arterials. City and regional transportation planners hope to provide a safe walking and cycling route through downtown to the University District.

“It’s improving the bicycle and pedestrian connectivity in a very important part of downtown Spokane,” said Ryan Stewart, a principal transportation planner with the Spokane Regional Transportation Council, which awarded the project $3.4 million in 2022.

The city secured an additional $3.9 million through the 2024 Move Ahead Washington state funding package. In total, both phases of the Pacific Avenue Greenway Project will cost an estimated $9.1 million; the first phase will cost an estimated $5 million.

“I see a lot of close calls there, riding the bus through there every day,” Stewart said. Construction on the first phase of modifications is slated to start this spring and wrap by the summer.

This phase includes an east-west bike route from Howard to Sherman, new traffic signals at the intersections with Browne and Division, and flashing pedestrian signals at the intersections of Washington and Sherman. The project is expected to include bump-outs – sections of the sidewalk that extend further into the street to shorten crosswalks – as well as planters and other barriers to discourage jaywalking mid-block, according to Kirstin Davis, spokesperson for the Spokane Public Works division.

The city will collaborate with the University District Public Development Authority on green spaces and tree planting along Pacific Avenue. The second phase of the project will stretch from Sherman to Perry Street, reaching the Ben Burr Trail. The city is still seeking additional funding for this work, Davis wrote in an email.