I-90 bridge repairs underway in Idaho’s Silver Valley

Bridge ramps on Interstate 90 in the Silver Valley are undergoing repair work this year, which is causing a number of ramp closures.

Eastbound off ramps were closed for the work last week at Kellogg and Silverton.

The closures will last about two months and then be followed by closures of the westbound on ramps.

The state has hired a contractor to fix 12 bridge locations. Some minor pavement repair is also part of the job.

Traffic will be limited to one lane within work zones with widths restricted to 14 feet, according to a news release.

C.L. Heilman Co, of Coeur d’Alene, is the contractor on the $2.7 million project.

The overall project should run through September, said Reed Hollinshead, spokesman for the Idaho Transportation Department.

Other interchanges that will see work this year are at the South Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River; at Osburn; at Big Creek; at Johnson Street; and at the Silverton business loop.

Closures at those locations have not been scheduled yet, Hollinshead said.

Outages at Idaho licensing

Also in Idaho, driver licensing locations have been experiencing outages to services, creating delays for drivers.

The Idaho Transportation Department is working with its computer system provider and county license offices to resolve the problems.

Traffic restrictions on I-90

Eastbound Interstate 90 through downtown Spokane continues to have traffic restrictions for bridge work at Third Avenue.

No date has been set for lane restrictions for work in the westbound lanes, but the restrictions are expected this month.

To the east, congestion is possible at the Liberty Lake on and off ramps on I-90 because of work on Liberty Lake Road from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m.

Numerous state highway maintenance projects are causing delays due to lane restrictions to allow for the work across Eastern Washington.

Spokane Valley

In Spokane Valley, work to build the next phase of the Appleway Trail could lead to lane closures on Pines, Blake and McDonald Roads.

Euclid Avenue from Flora to Barker roads and Flora Road at Euclid are closed for sewer work.

Mission Avenue from Pines to McDonald roads will have lane closures for pavement work.

Also, Skipworth Road is closed from 23rd to 27th avenues through early July.

In the city

In Spokane, westbound Sprague Avenue was closed last week at Jefferson Street with Riverside Avenue being used as a detour route.

The closure is part of a major job to install a large sewage holding tank as required for a cleanup of the Spokane River.

Work continues on East Sprague Avenue, which has resulted in closure of Sprague from Helena to Altamont streets.

The Division Street gateway project from Third Avenue to Spokane Falls Boulevard has been causing traffic jams in recent weeks, and those are likely to continue as the work proceeds along the curblines on Division and Browne streets.

The Maple Street Bridge is also going to have lane restrictions for maintenance work.

Repaving on Freya Street has moved to the area from Upriver Drive to Frederick Street.

More lane restrictions are expected on T.J. Meenach Drive starting on July 10 through late August for construction of a sewer holding tank.

Senators object to cuts

U.S. Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, both Democrats, sent a letter last week to the Trump Administration objecting to plans to reduce capital investment grant funding for public transportation projects.

In a news release, they challenged “the administration’s position that local investments in transit projects should take the place of any federal investment and support.”

Spokane- and Seattle-area voters have backed expansion of transit, including a Central City Line in Spokane and Sound Transit in the Puget Sound area.

“President Trump’s fiscal year 2018 budget request slashes the CIG program by $1.18 billion and would only fund projects which already have signed grant agreements with the federal government.”