Public input sought on Centennial Trail access point amenities
Spokane Valley city staff members are asking for the public’s help in deciding what kinds of public improvements should be added to the Centennial Trail access point at the end of the old Mission Avenue alignment.
A public meeting is planned for 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 26 in the clubhouse at the River House Apartments at 16621 E. Indiana Ave.
Trailhead improvements have already been made as part of the construction of the apartments, city staff said in a news release last week. Paving, parking and landscaping were installed.
Now, the city wants to make additional improvements with public funding.
City staff members and consultants will be on hand at the meeting to hear ideas.
The city posed this question for consideration: “Perhaps picnic tables or benches, maybe a fountain or other features that would make it more usable and attractive?”
The old Mission Avenue trailhead is located at the west end of Mission Avenue west of Flora Road.
Redevelopment of the street system there has created a new link from Indiana to Mission near Flora.
Information gathered at the meeting will be used to develop a plan for enhancements. The final plan will be made available to members of the community for review at a subsequent meeting.
Work is anticipated this spring or summer.
“Everyone is welcome to participate in the meeting and to bring their families, friends, neighbors and anyone interested in the project,” city spokeswoman Carolbelle Branch said in her news release.
Market Street leg to be reconfigured
Another busy arterial street is being put on a so-called “road diet.”
Spokane County announced last week that that it has received a $2.2 million state grant to convert Market Street from Houston Avenue to Lincoln Road from four through lanes to two through lanes and a center turn lane. Houston is two blocks north of Francis Avenue.
The announcement follows last week’s news that Spokane city officials received a federal safety grant to convert Monroe Street in a similar manner from Indiana to Kiernan avenues. Kiernan is two blocks south of Garland Avenue.
The Market Street project calls for a new 5.5-foot-wide sidewalk on the east side of the roadway. Two 5-foot-wide bicycle lanes will be striped on both sides of the street.
In addition, curb ramps are to be rebuilt to meet current federal accessibility standards.
Design is scheduled to begin in March with construction during summer 2016.
Mishap highlights need for rail work
The derailment last week of an Eastern Washington Gateway Railroad grain train in Cheney is giving state transportation officials another argument in their request to spend $7 million to upgrade nearly seven miles of short line track from Cheney northward to Craig Road.
Bob Westby, manager of the state-owned Palouse River & Coulee City Railroad, said some of the ties are rated at 80 pounds per yard, well below the modern standard of 110 to 115 pounds per yard.
The heavier rail is needed to support the weight of modern diesel locomotives and loaded cars.
BNSF Railway has been pushing grain shippers in the upper Columbia Basin to build a new train loading facility for wheat and other grain to ship the commodity more efficiently in 110-car-unit trains.
Westby said he joined BNSF officials, state engineers and staff of Gateway on a track inspection.
They found that in addition to undersized rails, numerous rail ties need replacing and the road bed itself requires reconstruction in some spots, particularly near wet areas, Westby said.
Thursday’s derailment left at least six full grain hopper cars on the ground, although they remained upright and none spilled its load. The 30-car train was blocking the crossing at Cheney-Spokane Road where the cars had jumped the tracks.
“It shows the track condition is not ideal,” Westby said. “It is something we have highlighted.”
Westby, who works in the freight division of the Washington state Department of Transportation, said WSDOT is seeking $30 million from the Legislature this winter to make improvements to its network of short line tracks, considered essential for local economies and keeping additional shipping loads off of state highways.
The Cheney-area project is a priority, he said.
That is due in large part to a BNSF move to get wheat cooperatives in Lincoln and Grant counties to invest in the new, high-speed train loading facility.
Grain grower cooperatives and their farmers have committed to spend $26.4 million of their private funds to build the facility, which will have an “eight-pack” elevator that is 190 feet tall, a large circular staging track and the high-speed loader.
The growers agreed to the project to preserve their existing favorable shipping rates. BNSF is trying to increase efficiency on its busy main lines.
As part of the arrangement, BNSF offered to send its own crews and equipment to the facility to drive the grain trains to seaport terminals, Westby said.
But BNSF won’t do it until the track repairs are made, he said.
Work will close one lane of I-90
The inside westbound lane of Interstate 90 near Post Falls will close on Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. while crews place concrete pier footings for the new Greensferry overpass bridge, the Idaho Transportation Department said.
The yearlong project is going over the freeway on the Greensferry Road alignment.
Funding is coming from the East Post Falls Urban Renewal District for the project, which is intended to improve connectivity and reduce travel distances between the two sides of Post Falls.
Ralph L. Wadsworth, of Draper, Utah, was chosen to undertake the design-build job under a $15 million contract, ITD said.
WSDOT forum is for women, minorities
Business owners who are minorities and women are invited to a community forum in Spokane on Feb. 5 from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at the regional offices of WSDOT at 2714 N. Mayfair Street.
The owners can learn more about how to successfully participate in programs intended to get disadvantaged business involved in contracting or subcontracting for state highway projects.
To attend, RSVP by email to DBESS@wsdot.wa.gov.