City Launches $80 Million in Construction Projects For 2022

Kirstin Davis, Communications Manager, 509.625.7773

Wednesday, March 30, 2022 at 1:33 p.m.

The City of Spokane today launched its $80 million construction season, featuring work that will aid the community with economic recovery, and a project on Riverside Avenue that brings much needed repairs, and reinvents one of the most prominent and accessed streets to embrace various modes of transportation.

“This year’s investment in public infrastructure will continue our community’s recovery and renewal,” says Mayor Nadine Woodward. “We are excited to deliver projects like Riverside that will improve infrastructure for bicyclists and pedestrians, provide a better surface for all travelers and continue important water and sewer system maintenance.”

The Riverside Avenue project will be one the most visible new projects this year. Rehabilitation of the street begins in May at Division street and will continue west to Wall. When finished, work will include important underground utility work, provide a fresh surface for travelers and accommodate new bus stops for the transit City Line. Between Division and Monroe, the travel lanes will be reconfigured to include one lane in each direction, some left-turn lane features, and dedicated bike lanes between the curb and on-street parking.

This type of transformation will add to the vitality of downtown benefiting downtown residents, visitors, businesses, retail, entertainment and hospitality. An active downtown is good for the economy and enhances public safety.

The $80 million investment in new construction work and another $21 million in projects continuing from last year will improve streets, rebuild bridges, protect the Spokane River, and invest in the City’s critical water and sewer systems.

Other new projects include:

  • The reconstruction of the Thor-Freya corridor between Sprague and Hartson will include replacing asphalt with concrete. This area experiences high volumes of freight and vehicle traffic, requiring a more durable surface. The success we have seen from the concrete intersection at Hamilton and N. Foothills Dr led to engineering the Thor-Freya corridor with a more durable material.
  • Replacing the bridge deck connecting Hatch Road with U.S. highway 195 is need for both safety reasons as well as traffic management. The bridge is now shifting due to high volumes of traffic and local freight and service vehicles. While this is a significant inconvenience for those who use this to connect to south Spokane, it will be worth the challenges. A bridge that is built to handle the heavy traffic and the addition of a right-hand turn lane from Hatch Road to U.S. 195 resulting in less wait times for those who will not be turning left.
  • A new sidewalk on North River Drive from Division to Washington streets, leading to the new east entrance to Riverfront Park will enhance access to the east entrance to Riverfront and the amenities on the north bank like the Podium, Spokane Arena and future outdoor stadium.
  • Additional phases of a series of projects to manage stormwater from what’s called the Cochran Basin, the largest stormwater basin in the City that sends around 350 million to 500 million gallons of stormwater to Spokane River annually. This year we will rebuild TJ Meenach Drive from the bridge to Northwest Boulevard as part of this work.
  • The City will also start work on a new water reservoir at Spokane International Airport, complete grind and overlay work to the north of the Monroe Street Bridge, and add a shared use path on Illinois avenue in Northeast Spokane.

And we will continue work on projects in progress such as:

  • The replacement of the 104-year-old Post Street Bridge. The old bridge deck has been removed and the historic arches have been reinforced. This year, we will focus on replacing the large sewer pipe that travels along the bridge and tucking it within the bridge structure, enhancing views of the bridge from the Spokane River.
  • The completion of the South Gorge Trail project from Redband Park to the Sandifur Bridge is getting close, along with repairs to the landslide area on Clarke Avenue.

Of course, we will also see our Street Department complete a series of grind and overlay projects on arterials throughout the City, improving pavement conditions to help all of us with our daily trips to school, work, and play. Expect projects in every Council District, including portions of Garland, Empire, Post, 14th Avenue, and more.

Finally, the City’s Street Department also will work all summer to improve streets with grind overlay work. Here’s the list for 2022:

  • 23rd/Thorpe - 195 to Inland Empire
  • 49th - Perry to Pittsburg
  • Lindeke/16th - Cochran to 13th 
  • Post - Grace to Walton
  • Garland - Maple to Monroe
  • 14th - Cedar to Lincoln
  • Boone - Nettleton to Ash
  • Perry - Illinois to North Foothills
  • Empire - Nevada to Helena
  • Central - Division to Addison
  • 4th - Washington to Browne
  • N. River Drive - 700' W of Division to Division
  • Hawthorne - US 2 to Nevada
  • Browne/McClellan - 8th to 3rd & 7th - Browne to Division

Street obstruction information that will impact the traveling public are updated at least weekly and are available on the City’s web site with a comprehensive list and interactive map. Find out what construction projects will impact your day on the City’s Construction Projects page.