Transportation Improvement Program Update

In order to be in compliance with state and federal regulations, SRTC was required to update the 2014-2017 TIP to maintain consistency with SRTC's new long-range transportation plan, Horizon 2040, which is expected to be approved by the SRTC Board in December.

To provide members of the public a forum to review the TIP, ask questions and provide feedback, SRTC will host a public meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 3 from 3:30-5:30 p.m. at SRTC, 221 W. First Ave., Suite 310, Spokane, WA 99201.

For those who can't attend the meeting, the draft updated TIP can be
viewed here. A public comment period for the TIP is November 12 through 4 p.m. on December 11, 2013. Comments may be emailed to contact.srtc@srtc.org, mailed to the address above, or phoned in to (509) 343-6370.


 

Less Than a Week Left to Comment On Horizon 2040

This is your warning that you have a little less than a week left to submit any thoughts or comments on the Horizon 2040 plan.

Horizon 2040 is a long-term, multimodal “blueprint” for transportation aimed at meeting the mobility needs of the area through the year 2040. It is based on projections for growth in population, housing and jobs and takes into consideration every mode of transportation, such as private vehicles, public transit, bicycling, walking, freight movement, rail and air travel.

 

The public comment period for the plan runs through November 16. After that, the plan goes to our Board for approval/acceptance in early December. In the meantime, watching the video below is a good way to get up to speed on the plan and what's included in it. Or you can read the entire plan and all the background materials at the link above.

 



A Lot Happening In Transportation This Week

STA is rolling out a new bus with a red, white and blue theme today; a celebration is scheduled this week for the nearly-completed Francis Avenue bridge; a new traffic signal is going in at Country Homes Boulevard and Cedar Road and lots more.

The Spokesman-Review's "Getting There" column has a roundup of everything transportation-related happening in our area this week.

Special Session Ends Without Transportation Bill

A special session of the Washington state legislature ended without a transportation bill being acted upon. Governor Inslee called the session to pass a number of bills designed to keep Boeing’s future 777x airplane manufacturing in Washington state and to pass a transportation bill. That didn't happen though and the session, which was initially supposed to last a week, was adjourned on Saturday.

Transportation Issues Daily has the story.

Transportation-Related Ballot Measures Had a Good Day Last Tuesday

Election day was a success for transportation measures last week. Voters across the country approved 91 percent of November 5 ballot measures to increase or extend funding for highways, bridges and transit. Successful ballot measures passed with an average of 67 percent of the vote and totaled nearly $240 million.

Transportation Issues Daily has a roundup of the numbers.

Local Road Construction Update

SPOKANE VALLEY

Sullivan Road at the Spokane River bridges - The northbound roadway is reduced to one lane through mid-November.

WSDOT
I90/SR 904 Congestion- Expect congestion on I-90 and SR 904 between Spokane and Cheney Saturday as fans travel to and from the EWU football game.

I-90/Greenacres Interchange to Liberty Lake Interchange- On Tuesday, November 12, from 9 a.m. until as late as 5 p.m., westbound I-90 will be reduced to one lane to repair median cable barriers.  On Wednesday, November 13, from about 7 a.m., until as late as 3 p.m., eastbound I-90 will be reduced to one lane.  Expect slow traffic and congestion.  This work depends on weather and may be postponed during snow and icy conditions.

SR 27/32^nd Ave. to Trent Ave.- Grind out top layer of roadway and resurface with Hot Mix Asphalt.  Construct ADA sidewalk ramps.

North Spokane Corridor/Francis Avenue Bridge and Intersection Improvements- Expect congestion and delays near the Francis Avenue/Market Street intersection and the Francis Ave./Freya Street intersection as the finishing touches are put on the Francis Avenue Bridge over the BNSF railroad tracks.

US 195/Cheney-Spokane Road Interchange- Northbound and/or southbound lane restrictions.  The northbound left turn lane is closed.  Northbound drivers need to use Qualchan Road to access Cheney-Spokane Road.  The southbound off ramp to Cheney-Spokane Road is now closed so drivers will need to be alert for southbound highway traffic slowing to make right turns into Cheney-Spokane Road.

SPOKANE COUNTY

Farwell Rd. from Market to North Spokane Corridor- Closed for fall.

Johnannsen Rd.- Closed from Prairie View Elementary School to Northview Lane for sidewalk installation and road widening.

SPOKANE CITY
Greene St. Bridge Project- Lane restrictions on the bridge and on Greene Street between South Riverton Avenue and Upriver Drive. The work on the bridge will improve its load rating, allowing larger trucks and loads to use the bridge. The project includes installing fiber-reinforced polymer to the bridge deck and floor beams. 

2nd Ave. Driving and Parking Lane Closure- The northern most driving lane and parking lane will be closed on 2nd Avenue just west of the Jefferson Street intersection starting November 11 through the 14th. 

17th Ave. Closure Sewer Repair Closure- 17^th Avenue will be closed from Nov. 11 through 13t between South Latawah Street and South Upper Terrace Road for sewer service repair work.  Traffic from 17^th Avenue will be detoured to 18^th Avenue.

Spokane Falls Blvd. Closure- Spokane Falls Boulevard from Bernard to Washington is closed through November 15.  Detours direct traffic to Riverside and Washington.  Bernard Street from Main Avenue and Spokane Falls Boulevard northbound will be closed.  The work will add sewer and water line connections to the Convention Center Hotel under construction.

Centennial Trail Closure- Part of the Centennial Trail on the north side of the Spokane River from Division Street east will be closed November 11 – 29.  Pedestrians will be re-routed north on the sidewalk along the eastside of Division Street and through the Red Lion Property.  The work will remove and replace deck boards, fascia boards and pedestrian rails.

Main Ave. Closure- Main Avenue, just west of Monroe Street, is closed for sewer line repair work. Vehicles have to enter Peaceful Valley from the west, and Spokane Transit Authority buses will also serve the area from the west.  The sidewalks along Main will remain open, allowing for pedestrians and cyclists to access Peaceful Valley from downtown on Main.
 
Liberty Street Construction- Construction to rehabilitate Liberty from Oak Street to Ash Place and Ash Place from Liberty to Dalton is starting.  The road is closed.

 

City of Spokane Fall Leaf Pickup Starts This Weekend

The fall leaves may be beautiful but they make the streets slick and clock storm drains. So, the City of Spokane will begin its regularly scheduled leaf pickup this Sunday, Nov. 10.  Cars parked on the street will need to be removed during the scheduled leaf pickup time. 

Pickup times and areas can be found on the City's website here.

Don't forget, leaf pickup is only for leaves that fall naturally into the street. DO NOT rake leaves from your yard into the street. 

 

 

Two Open Positions On Spokane Valley Planning Commission

If you're a Spokane Valley resident, you can have an impact on how on the City develops, through a position on the Planning Commission.

There are two openings on the Commission. Those chosen are responsible for reviewing and making recommendations pertaining to long and short range plans for future development, the City's Comprehensive Plan, Shoreline Master Program, development regulations, environmental protections, and a variety of other development-related topics.

Applications are available on the City's website at http://www.spokanevalley.org/volunteer. They will be accepted through 4 p.m. on Friday, November 15.

November 14 SRTC Board Meeting Agenda

The agenda is now available for November 14th's meeting of the SRTC Board. You can find it, and other info on our Board, here. Board meetings are open to everyone so feel free to attend if you have an interest in something on the agenda.

Transportation Via Bank Suction Tube

I have been talking about this forever, and considering that I don't have the funding to do it myself, I guess I'm glad someone is running with my idea. So you know that suction tube they have at the bank when you go through the drive through? I've been saying for many years that they need a human-sized one people could get in to and be shot at high speeds through a system of tubes to get to whatever destination they desire. Well, someone has actually improved on that idea. And the video is cool.


 

Grand Blvd./McClellan St. Project Open House

The City of Spokane will host an open house next Wednesday, Nov. 13 at 6:30-7:30 p.m. to fill you in on details of  an upcoming construction project on Grand Boulevard/McClellan Street. The meeting will be at Roosevelt Elementary School, 333 W.14th Ave.

 

The plan is to grind and overlay Grand Boulevard/McClellan Street from 14th Avenue to 8th Avenue. A water main will also be replaced in 9th Avenue and McClellan Street, and a portion of the sewer will be replaced in 9th Avenue.

 

City staff will be onhand at the open house to  give information as to the scope of the project, estimated start date (I'm assuming in 2014) and duration of the project and traffic detours and access during construction. Here's a flyer for the meeting.

Some Jurisdictions Open, Some Closed for Veterans Day

A reminder that Monday, Nov. 11 is Veterans Day and there's a mixed bag of local government agencies wthat will be closed. Here's what I know:

• SRTC will be open
• City of Spokane offices will be open
• Spokane County offices will be closed
• Spokane Valley offices will be closed

Keep in mind that Monday is a parking meter holiday so if you don't have school or work, you may want to come downtown and park for free for shopping, eating or other activities.

Special Session Starts Tomorrow to Address Boeing Planes and A Transportation Funding Package

A special session starts tomorrow in Olympia and Gov. Jay Inslee  is pressuring the Washington State Legislature to pass a $10 billion transportation-tax package within a week as part of it. The primary aim of the session though is to get Boeing to build its new 777X in Washington.

That puts the transportation package on the back burner, meaning it may not happen this time. Few details are known about the prosed package to fund transportation at this point, except that it includes a 10.5-cent increase in the state gas tax phased in over 12 years and does not include funding for a new I-5 bridge over the Columbia River.

More info on the special session can be found in this Seattle Times article.

Use Your Phone to Redesign Your Street

Want to redesign your street to make it more attractive and more user-friendly? There's an app for that. Key to the Street is a new design tool you can use on your phone that lets you redesign your street with features like landscaping or bike lanes and keeps you up to date on improvements already in the works by linking to planned projects in the area. You can even use the app to share your ideas with decisionmakers or other advocates.



 

Tuesday's Snow Blamed For Dozens of Collision

Yesterday's snow is blamed for 80 collisions yesterday during the morning drive time and a little after. De-icing and sanding trucks around the area were busy but it was a case of too little, too late as most crews aren't working overnight hours yet and the snow started very early in the mornin.

The Spokesman-Review has a look at the mess that was yesterday's commute.

Public Open House For High Drive Project Thursday

City of Spokane engineers will unveil a revamped plan this week to reconstruct High Drive from 29th to Hatch. The design will be on display at an open house this Thursday from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at Jeffereson Elementary School, 123 E. 37th Ave.

Previous plans for High Drive were scrapped due to public criticism that it eliminated too much parking for users of the area's trails and included too many unneeded amenities, such as planting strips and sidewalks on both sides of the road.

The Spokesman-Review has some of the early details on the new design.

U.S. Transportation System Has $100B in Inefficiencies

I hate to be the all doom and gloom but guess what folks? Looks like the state of our transportation system may be even worse than originally thought. Economist Clifford Winston of the Brookings Institution has crunched the numbers and calculates that its many inefficiencies are worth more than $100 billion.

He breaks it down to costs accrued by car traffic, road damage, inefficient highway funding, and other areas. And the numbers are downright scary.

Here are the details from the Atlantic Cities.

STA Plaza Getting New Smoking Area

A new smoking area at the STA Plaza is expected to alleviate a loitering problem in front of nearby businesses in downtown Spokane.

The old smoking area along Wall Street was closed in August 2012 as part of a project to improve Wall Street and create a new loading zone for Paratransit riders. Smokers moved in front of other businesses as a result.

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2013/nov/05/spokane-bus-plaza-to-get-new-smoking-area/

Crazy Conditions Out There- Check www.SRTMC.org Before Driving

Picture courtesy of Spokane
Emergency Management

I-90 is moving at 30 mph in many areas, people on the South Hill have been told to just wait to go anywhere to ease up congestion, and Highway 291 is closed due to collisions.

The Spokesman-Review has a roundup of areas you should avoid this morning. And it's a lot of them. I'd say go back to bed but I'd probably get in trouble with your boss so just take it slow and check out the Spokane Regional Transportation Management Center website before driving anywhere. It's got dozens of live traffic cameras you can view to see what areas of your commute to avoid and a big map right on the front page with trouble areas.

"Smart" Parking Meter Installation Almost Complete

Installation of new parking meters that accept credit cards, provide real-time parking availability information through an online application and have pay by phone capability will be completed within the next two weeks.

Parking Service’s new credit-card-enabled models, manufactured by Duncan Solutions, allow customers to pay with coins, credit cards, or cell phones and are located throughout the downtown core. They were installed on time and within budget.

The pay by phone feature is anticipated to be launched in December of this year.