Jeff Humphrey, Media Manager, 509.625.6308
Friday, April 23, 2021 at 2:26 p.m.
The City of Spokane is working on the final piece of a four- year public works project designed to make Sprague Avenue more attractive to both our residents and investors.
“This project was so important to us because, it’s really about connecting downtown to other parts of Spokane,” said Lars Gilberts, CEO of the University District.
This last round of East Sprague construction includes digging up and laying down new asphalt, sidewalks, and landscaping.
But the improvements, including new lighting, are also paving the way for new growth within Spokane’s University District.
“It allows us to build up more densely along Sprague and if we wanted to be able to draw new businesses in, and have hundreds of millions of dollars invested in our community, they needed to have new infrastructure,” explained Gilberts.
That includes replacing century-old water and sewer lines to help serve new businesses and housing taking shape along Sprague.
Sprucing up Sprague Avenue is part of the City’s ongoing investment in bringing new vitality and jobs to the eastside of downtown Spokane.
“Typically, every one million dollars in public construction investment supports as many as 20 good-paying jobs in our in our community,” Spokane Mayor Nadine Woodward said during a news conference announcing the 2021 construction season.
However, businesses along the four blocks affected by the Phase 2B project still need your business.
Customers of the Honest in Ivory Bridal Shop will have a front row seat to a summer of construction, but the store’s manager still welcomes the improvements to the East Sprague Corridor.
“It’s still super important that they still keep coming here, so we can continue to grow and expand and also continue to update Sprague Avenue and make it as beautiful as possible to attract more people to this area,” said Honest in Ivory’s Kenzie Quaintance.
“More importantly, please visit the other businesses that are outside the impact zone. They’re open, easy to access, have all the brand new streets and sidewalks. They are important to come see as well,” added Doug Trudeau of nearby Trudeau’s Marina.
Construction along Sprague Avenue is expected to last about six months. Look for detours around the south end of the project when approaching Division Street.
