Getting There: Bike Swap brings big bucks for Centennial Trail

The second-annual Spokane Bike Swap held earlier this month at the Spokane County Fair & Expo Center looks like it’s the kind of grass-roots event that’s going to become a permanent part of the local scene.

The event on April 13 and 14 drew 2,000 bike enthusiasts and raised enough money to double its charitable contribution to the Friends of the Centennial Trail.

Last week, organizers of the bike swap announced a donation of $20,000 to the trail-builders fund managed by the Friends organization. That’s double the amount donated in 2012, said LeAnn Yamamoto, bike swap coordinator.

About 600 used bikes were put up for sale, a threefold increase from a year ago. Of those bikes, 450 were sold, raising about $70,000 for the sellers.

In addition, two dozen donated bikes were fixed up and sold for as low as $15.

The swap drew 40 vendors from the Spokane and Coeur d’Alene areas and 135 volunteers helped out. In addition, the swap had a list of 25 sponsors.

Organizers said the bike swap has become a good place for families to find affordable bikes for children.

“I envision this event continuing for years and years to come, very similar to the Spokane Ski Swap,” Yamamoto said.

The bike swap this year was held simultaneously with the Paint-A-Helmet event put on by Division 46 Kiwanis Clubs at the fairgrounds. Children ages 3 to 16 could get a free bike helmet and then paint it.

That drew extra people to the swap, organizers said. They hope to continue the dual event arrangement in coming years.

Loreen McFaul, executive director of the Friends of the Centennial Trail, said money from the bike swap will be used to help pay for construction of unfinished segments of the trail.

Those include the stretch from Bridge Avenue to Summit Boulevard to the northwest of the Kendall Yards development, where a new trail section is expected to be completed by June.

Other locations with gaps are at Mission Park, where the city is studying options for going over or under Mission Avenue, and the vicinity of Argonne Road and Maringo Drive.

Trail-builders funds previously went to repair flood damage near Barker Road and for the relocation of the trail at Stateline beneath a new county bridge over the Spokane River.

City road restrictions

Another of the city’s major street reconstruction projects gets started May 6 with the partial closure of Third Avenue from Division to Arthur streets.

Plans call for maintaining one lane of traffic along Third through the coming weeks of construction. Work includes installation of a 12-inch water main. No schedule was given for completion.

Elsewhere in the city, Wall Street from Third to Sixth avenues should reopen Friday following rehabilitation work there that cost $500,000. That project is being funded by Spokane Transit Authority.

Farther south, a wastewater project to replace the Lincoln Heights booster station will result in Ray Street being reduced to one lane of traffic today and Tuesday. That is a $1.8 million project.

Lane closures

The Washington State Department of Transportation is getting ready for some major pavement repair work starting Sunday on Division and Ruby streets, from Euclid Avenue on to Interstate 90.

The work will be confined to the hours of 6:30 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Grinding and repaving work, along with crack-sealing, will result in lane restrictions with possible slowdowns.

Also, state sweeping crews are going to be on I-90 today through Thursday cleaning the pavement as part of the region’s preparations for Bloomsday. That work is being done during daytime hours.

To the east, another project on the Spokane Bridge Road at the I-90 interchange at Stateline will result in single-lane traffic with flaggers directing motorists in alternating groups.

To the northwest, survey work today will result in single-lane traffic on state Highway 291 from Nine Mile to Lowell roads. Flaggers will direct alternating traffic.

Valley road work

In Spokane Valley, work to install conduit for signal light control and other digital transportation management will result in curb lane closures on Pines Road from 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, with completion in July.

At University Road, railroad crossing work will close that arterial today from 8 a.m. to noon between Trent and Fairview avenues.

Also, Sullivan Road has been reduced to one lane in each direction from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. for traffic signal and stormwater work through mid-June.

Weight limits lifted

In Spokane County, seasonal weight restrictions on trucks were lifted last week now that the county road beds have firmed up following the spring thaw. Restrictions are imposed annually to prevent damage. The restrictions typically start in late February.