Getting There: Paving crews return to finish downtown job

Paving crews will return Tuesday night to Lincoln and Monroe streets in downtown Spokane to finish a job started last year.

Paving of the top layer of asphalt will start about 7 p.m. and continue through early morning hours.

Work will take place in the two lanes on the west side of the streets where crews have been busy for the past few weeks getting ready.

The last stages of the project are being undertaken this summer, one half of each street at a time in order to keep the streets open to traffic.

Moderate backups are being seen.

This summer’s work is nothing compared with the dirty, dusty mess last year.

The work in 2016 affected traffic throughout the west end of downtown, causing businesses to suffer a loss of customers. People simply did not want to go downtown.

The work involved updating the maze of underground utilities.

It turned out there was so much work that crews were unable to finish the job before freezing weather arrived.

When snow choked downtown last winter, plow crews ran into newly poured curbs that were built to shorten pedestrian crossings with “bulb-outs.”

Crews last week repaired the worst of the damage and poured new concrete sections. At least one ripped-out section at Lincoln and Riverside Avenue was the result of a contractor error.

Marlene Feist, director of strategic development for the city’s public works department, said the city will have to pay its contractor for the repaired concrete caused by city plows.

That cost, which has not been determined yet, will be on top of the $3.1 million budgeted for the work.

Also, Avista Utilities opened two utility vaults – one at First Avenue and Lincoln and the other at Sprague Avenue and Monroe.

The one on First was decommissioned as part of an upgrade of the electrical system, done in conjunction with the street reconstructions.

Both vaults got new 40,000-pound lids that will be capable of supporting the weight of traffic, said David Vowels, an Avista spokesman.

Crews also raised manhole covers to match the levels of the finished surfaces.

After lanes on the west sides of both streets are paved, crews will move to the eastern halves to finish work there.

It will largely be a repeat of work done so far this month.

A second round of paving is scheduled for overnight hours beginning on the evening of July 31.

Temporary lane markers will guide traffic until permanent markers can be placed.

The finished street will have a layer of crushed rock covered by three layers of asphalt pavement to hold up to the beating of traffic as years go by, officials have said.

Groundbreaking for transit center

Spokane Transit Authority is holding a groundbreaking ceremony for a new West Plains Transit Center at 9 a.m. on Wednesday on the southwest side of Exit 272, the exit for Medical Lake.

The address for the event is at 10810 W. Westbow Road.

An STA shuttle will be running to the event with outbound boardings from 1230 W. Boone Ave. at 8:25 a.m. and from the Jefferson Park and Ride lot at 8:35 a.m.

The new transit center will allow STA to make major improvements to service on the West Plains and is part of a wider upgrade in transit.

Idaho highway signs to honor vets

In Idaho, the state is installing new highway signs along Interstate 84 to honor the sacrifices of those who served in Vietnam.

The 4-by-8-foot signs are being installed at eight locations from Oregon to Utah. They are replacing smaller signs.

More than 44,000 Idaho residents served in Vietnam, and among those, 217 lost their lives and 1,000 were wounded. Eight Idaho service personnel are still missing.

“Idaho has a great history of service to our country,” said Chief Operating Officer Travis McGrath of the Idaho Transportation Department.

“These new signs allow us to show our appreciation for those men and women who stood up to protect our freedom,” he said in a news release.

Work continues on I-90

On Interstate 90 in North Idaho, work on bridge joints and failing pavement will disrupt traffic in a 12-mile stretch going east from the state line.

Work started Sunday night and will continue through Wednesday.

“There will be intermittent lane closures in both directions for this necessary maintenance work,” said a news release from ITD.

The work goes from milepost 0 to milepost 12 at the U.S. 95 interchange.

To minimize traffic disruption, the work is planned from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. each day.

A speed limit of 45 mph will be posted in the work zones.

I-90 restrictions to be lifted in Spokane

Good news for I-90 drivers in Spokane: Lane restrictions in the westbound lanes should be lifted by Thursday.

The restrictions starting at Altamont Street have been causing major slowdowns.

Three through lanes are reduced to two lanes to make room for the work.

Crews are repairing bridge joints and pavement in a project that began in the eastbound lanes late in the spring.

Repaving work on the interstate

Also on I-90 to the southwest, repaving work is underway from Fishtrap to Sprague Lake to repair damaged surfaces. The freeway is down to one lane in work areas.

Near Snoqualmie Pass, rock blasting will close I-90 in both directions at 7 p.m. on Tuesday through Thursday.

The blasting is part of a major project to widen the freeway east of the pass.

Also, repaving from the summit of the pass to North Bend is causing lane closures.

Lane closures are also occurring overnight for work in the Cle Elum area.

In the city

In Spokane, slowdowns are occurring on Division Street north of Francis Avenue where crews are putting in handicap-accessible sidewalk ramps and getting ready for repaving.

One lane will be closed northbound from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m.

A southbound lane will be closed from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Also, nighttime lane closures will occur in both directions from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m.

The work is from Francis to the Division Y.

New Division sidewalks

Elsewhere on Division, new sidewalks with curb ramps are being installed on both Division and Browne streets from Spokane Falls Boulevard to Sprague Avenue.

Work is now moving to the west sides of both streets in the $3.5 million job that extends to Third Avenue.

Lincoln, Monroe closures

Also in the city, Lincoln will be closed from Summit Parkway to Broadway Avenue for two weeks starting on Monday.

Monroe from Summit to College Avenue will be closed for two weeks starting July 31.

Both closures are needed to make pipe connections for a new sewer holding tank as part of a project to clean up waste and stormwater going into the river.

Spokane County

In Spokane County, major projects are underway on Monroe, Wall and Market streets north of Francis.

Monroe and Wall are currently closed through the end of August.

Market will close to all but local traffic starting on Thursday.

In the Valley

In Spokane Valley, a chip-seal surfacing project is underway on Dishman-Mica Road in the vicinity of Shafer Road and the city limits.

Single-lane traffic is being guided by pilot cars.

Construction of the Appleway Trail continues to cause disruption and possible lane closures on McDonald Road.

Bowdish Road is closed from Eighth to 12th avenues for a sidewalk project.