Spokane County considers improvements to Centennial Trail’s ‘Argonne Gap’

A long-awaited project to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety by connecting two portions of the Centennial Trail is making progress.

“Having asphalt trail completely separated from vehicular traffic, no matter where along the Centennial Trail, has been the goal since inception,” said Loreen McFaul, executive director of the Friends of the Centennial Trail.

The 40-mile trail stretches from Sontag Park to the border of Idaho and Washington and attracts nearly 2 million riders a year. Once over the state line, the trail continues for another 24 miles through Post Falls and into Coeur d’Alene.

Over the years, McFaul said there’s been “amazing progress” to completely separate the trail from the road through coordination with the Washington Parks and Recreation Commission, Spokane County, Spokane, Spokane Valley and Liberty Lake.

However, a portion of the trail remains a priority.

The Argonne Gap is a 2-mile span that stretches from the Donkey Island trailhead to Boulder Beach. Portions of the trail, McFaul said, run closely along Upriver Drive, which can prove nerve-wracking.

“Riding a bike in a bike lane, parts of it are just right next to the roadway on Upriver Drive,” McFaul said. “And folks trying to follow a 45-mile-an-hour speed limit, it sure seems like cars go a lot faster there sometimes. So separating it, no matter if it’s the Centennial Trail or wherever you’re riding a bike, always feels safer. I know it does for me.”

According to county data, between 2019 and 2023 there were 33 crashes along Argonne Road between Wellesley Avenue and Maringo Drive, with 70% of the collisions occurring at the intersection of Argonne Road and Upriver Drive.

One pedestrian fatality occurred at the intersection of Argonne and Maringo in 2021.

Spokane County is considering options to improve safety for both pedestrians and vehicles and reduce vehicle congestion in the area.

One possibility is to include routing the trail along Maringo before it reconnects with Upriver, while another option would route the path from Maringo to Marguerite Road and then to Upriver.

At the corner of Upriver and Maringo, options under consideration include a new road-level crossing, a bridge over the roadway or an underpass.

While no plan has been selected, Spokane County recently completed a survey for input to improve the stretch of trail, and a preferred alternative could be selected as early as next week.

Under the project’s current timeline, a draft study could be completed by Aug. 1, with a final study completed by Aug. 22.

With limited space on Upriver Drive, McFaul said it’s not yet clear what the options will look like for the project, though that hasn’t dampened her optimism.

“We’re excited for the collaboration with Spokane County and their transportation design,” McFaul said.

While it was initially intended to be recreational, McFaul said the trail has become a more popular option for commuters.

“In a growing metropolitan community, both of those things become more and more important,” McFaul said. “Because the Centennial Trail meets you where you’re at. It’s free, there are a million ways to recreate on it or commute on it. So it’s such a more important gem when it’s made safe and made accessible.”

The stretch of trail has also seen heightened use in recent years as new housing development continues to be built around Pasadena Park Elementary School.

“All of the development that has gone on, my gosh, with apartments and businesses and traffic, it begs for some solutions sooner rather than later,” McFaul said.