State to add lanes to I-90 from Sullivan to Barker
Third lane would be constructed in each direction
The state Department of Transportation announced on Monday that it plans to add a third lane to Interstate 90 in each direction from Sullivan Road to Barker Road, with the work beginning next spring.
The Spokane Valley project is one of 21 highway projects statewide worth an estimated $112 million that will receive funding as a result of savings on construction contracts in recent years.
Lower materials costs have brought down bid prices by as much as 30 percent compared to several years ago.
The additional lanes in Spokane Valley are expected to cost $25 million.
Also, I-90 will have ruts repaired in the concrete pavement from the downtown Spokane viaduct westward to the Geiger Boulevard exit at the top of Sunset Hill, a $15.5 million job. Some concrete panels will be repaired in that section.
The addition of a third lane in each direction of I-90 from Sullivan to Barker has been sought by transportation engineers for years.
“It is part of our long-term goal” for I-90 in the Spokane region, said Al Gilson, spokesman for DOT in Spokane.
Statewide, the additional projects will put an estimated 580 people to work.
The state had been pooling savings on projects. The list of newly funded jobs includes high-tech traffic controllers in the Puget Sound region and workers to repair ferry terminals.
State Highway 17 in the Moses Lake area will get additional median barriers to prevent crossover collisions. The job is worth $1.6 million.
Several rural highways in Eastern Washington will get chip seal paving to preserve the life of existing asphalt.
Bids on the projects will be sought this fall with construction to begin in the spring, state officials said.