Map courtesy of the Prairie Protection Association
Orchard Prairie neighbors are suing to stop the Bigelow Gulch freeway project, asking for a more thorough environmental review on an expansion that would drastically impact the pastoral, 100-year-old community. According to the S-R, residents “contend the county is trying to build a connector to feed the south end of a partially completed North Spokane freeway at Francis Avenue and Freya Street. They believe the project would damage wildlife, increase noise and open the prairie to more intense development.” As previously mentioned, The U.S. Department of Transportation, and the Federal Highway Administration allegedly failed to fulfill requirements by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the federal Administrative Procedures Act (APA). Also, one plaintiff was asked to leave for trying to record county officials at a public meeting two years ago about the proposal. For this article, county and federal officials did not respond to telephone requests for interviews from the S-R.
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