It’s Monday, May 14, 2007, the day Spokane-area motorists have:

A.) dreaded

B.) prepared for

C.) forgotten

Scratch C. With all those big, illuminated Department of Transportation signs at the downtown freeway on- and off-ramps, nobody should have forgotten that the second half of Interstate 90 resurfacing work begins today.

And we should be able to rule out A. After the reasonably uneventful way the first half of the two-season project was managed last summer – by the contractors, the department and the driving public – the anxiety level ought to be under control.

That leaves us with B. We hope.

Sometime Sunday evening, crews began the work of reconfiguring traffic flow on the freeway through downtown. After perhaps a week and a half, barriers will be in place, leaving two narrow lanes of traffic in each direction, all on the south (usually east-bound) side.

Under that arrangement, the freeway won’t be able to accommodate the 90,000 vehicles that normally use that route each day. During last summer’s work, according to state transportation officials, the vehicle volume dropped 25 percent because so many drivers chose other ways to reach their destinations. That needs to happen again in 2007.

In preparation, the Downtown Spokane Partnership has blanketed area businesses with fliers that explain to customers, employees and travelers which ramps will be affected and how. The fliers identify the best alternatives for getting on and off I-90 outside of the core, as well as convenient off-freeway routes through the city.

One potential problem this year will be the east-bound Division Street off-ramp, where drivers will be able to exit on their way to Sacred Heart Medical Center and other points south. But they won’t be allowed to go north along Division. If drivers try to make what amounts to a near U-turn and go north anyway, it could back traffic up onto the freeway where the narrow lane configurations won’t be able to tolerate it. Be forewarned: Law enforcement will be watching and tickets will be handed out. If that doesn’t solve the problem, the option remains to close the ramp altogether.

By mid-September, the work should be over, those annoying ruts should be gone and Interstate 90 through downtown Spokane should be ready to flow. It may not be a convenient summer for motorists, but if 2007 sees the same kind of patience and cooperation 2006 saw, it won’t be catastrophic, either.