Second phase of work now will begin May 22
Marlene Feist, City of Spokane Public Works & Utilities, (509) 625-6505
Thursday, May 18, 2017 at 2:02 p.m.
The City of Spokane today has authorized changes to the East Sprague construction project to accelerate its completion, likely by several weeks. With the changes, the City anticipates that the project now will be complete by late August, instead of late September.
To achieve the time savings, the second phase of work, which was scheduled to begin in late June, will commence on Monday, May 22. That section runs from just west of Napa to just west of Helena. The local access detour routes around the construction area, on First & Riverside avenues, will be expanded about four more blocks to the west. They will run from Perry Street to Altamont.
“We are working to be responsive to opportunities that lessen impacts on businesses, property owners, and the neighborhood when we rebuild streets,” says Scott Simmons, the City’s Division Director for Public Works. “Throughout the planning, design, and construction of this project, we have worked closely with those businesses and property owners, and some of them came forward to ask about ways to hasten the work. And, we have developed an approach to do just that.”
The community also can help the businesses by continuing to visit them during construction. The businesses have reported a drop in traffic in the construction area and in blocks leading to the work, but navigation through the area is relatively easy. The local-access detour routes include signage directing people to the businesses they want to visit.
The project to rehabilitate East Sprague from Helena to Stone streets began on April 3. The project includes an enhanced streetscape, new pedestrian lighting and landscaping, bumpouts at intersections that reduce crossing distances, updated water infrastructure, and new pavement.
The project was developed using a new construction scheduling approach. Contractor, L&L Cargile, was to close four of the eight-block construction areas on Sprague at a time, complete all the work within the section, and then move to the other half.
With the change, the City will move up the start of the second phase, and construction on the first phase will continue. That first phase runs from just west of Napa to almost Altamont and is expected to be completed just after the Fourth of July.
