UPS Experimenting With E-Bike Delivery

Forget the big brown truck, you will soon see a big brown bike in some neighborhoods delivering your goods.

According to Oregon Live, UPS is testing delivery by electric bicycle in Portland, a first for the company in the United States. The company has been experimenting with e-bike delivery in Europe since 2012.

It already uses a fleet of traditional bicycles during the holiday season in Portland, but the electric bikes are expected to be used year-round. They can cover more ground and carry more cargo because electric motors give the bike rider a boost. It is also easier to park in crowded areas than a large truck. And don't forget, they're emissions-free.

TV is Finally Getting on Board with Public Transit

Was this group too good to ride the subway?

What's your favorite television show from the past? What about ones set in New York City? Have you ever noticed that the use of public transit is rarely depicted in these shows? Even ones set in New York like Seinfeld and Sex and the City.

Things are changing though, according to this NPR article. More shows are starting to depict characters routinely using public transit, like Girls, the Mindy Project, Broad City and Mr. Robot. Even shows not set in New York are starting to use buses and trains more often in plot lines. Jane the Virgin goes into labor on the bus. The characters on Atlanta have some deep conversations on buses.

And transit advocates are hoping the trend will continue, saying that positive depictions of people using ways to get around other than driving will get more people to do so in real life.

County Budget Shift Not Anticipated to Affect Roads Department

In the 2017 budget passed by Spokane County Commissioners on Monday, the roads department will get a $7 million budget increase next year. Commissioners also shifted $5 million in taxing authority from the “road fund banked capacity” to the county’s general fund, which includes spending on courts, the sheriff’s office and the jail.

This has some people worried about the impact to area roads and, according to the Spokesman-Review, Commissioner Al French he’s received numerous phone calls from residents concerned about how their property taxes will be spent. Officials say no money will be taken from the road fund. Instead, the money going into the general fund will come from tax increases.

The confusion comes from the terms used. "Road fund money" and "road fund tax capacity” are apparently two different things. Washington counties are allowed to raise property taxes 1 percent each year. If they don’t use the full 1 percent, they can “bank,” or accumulate, the remaining percentage and levy it later. Spokane County didn’t take a 1-percent property tax increase for the road fund for years. That “banked capacity,” or left-over authority to tax, is being transferred to the general fund and will amount to $5 million in revenue next year.

That money could be collected for the road fund, but county officials feel there’s more need for it in the general fund. So if they didn't use the banking option, that money never would have gone into the road fund anyway.

French said some of the new general fund money will be spent on capital improvements, and some will be used to create a “water bank,” in which property owners buy and sell water rights. The water bank is an effort to ease building permit restrictions under the state Supreme Court’s controversial Hirst decision.

The remaining banked capacity money will be used to raise the leftover balance of the general fund in order to keep the County's bond rating up.

Only residents in unincorporated parts of the county pay property taxes for the road fund, but all county residents will contribute to the $5 million being transferred into the general fund, Wrigley said.

There Are Monsters In Them Thar Subways

Wednesday, why do you taunt me?? Well, while you're killing time until Friday, here is something to keep your mind off Wednesday. Subway monsters. Yes, monsters in New York's subway. And here's proof.


For the past four years, Brooklynite Ben Rubin has been using his daily commute time on the subway to take photos of his fellow riders, then dress them up a little. With monsters and political figures.

He uses an iPad drawing app to make his photos more fun, then posts his creations on Instagram and
Facebook, under the name Subway Doodle. 

While most of his drawings are just for fun, some are commentary on what he sees on the subway or on current politics. For instance, last year, he posted a picture of cartoon Trump building a brick wall around a Latino rider right in the middle of a subway car.

Public Invited to Discuss I90 congestion at Open House

Interstate 90 at Harvard Road in Liberty Lake.

The Washington State Department of Transportation is starting an  Interstate 90/Four Lakes to Idaho Operational Study and wants to tell you about it. So you are invited to an informational open house Tuesday, Dec. 13.

I-90 in the Spokane area is experiencing increased congestion, primarily during peak commute hours, although congestion outside of peak periods is also on the rise. This congestion increases the possibility of collisions occurring on the freeway. 

Staff from the WSDOT will be on hand to listen to public feedback on improving safety and operations of the freeway and answer questions about the study. There will not be a formal presentation, and the public is free to stop in anytime during the open house from 5-8 p.m. in the North Central High School cafeteria at 1600 N. Howard Street.

This study will emphasize low-cost strategies to efficiently move traffic on the existing system while improving safety. It will examine collision history and operational performance in close detail and make recommendations for project strategies.

Local Road Construction Update

SPOKANE COUNTYCountry Homes (Wall to SR 395)- Stormwater work in the raised islands, install topsoil.
Watch for occasional lane closures for cleanup work, expect delays. On-street parking is limited.

Holcomb Road (North side of Hwy 206)- Replace failing culverts under the road. Road closed with a detour in place.

SPOKANE VALLEY
7^th Avenue just east of Havana - Closed around the clock through Thursday, December 8 for utility work. Signs and/or flaggers will direct traffic through or around the work areas. Expect congestion and delays. 

Sullivan Road Bridge - Expect reductions to a single lane northbound and closure of one southbound lane from dawn until dusk weekdays, with turns from Indiana onto northbound Sullivan reduced to one lane.

SPOKANE CITY

Leaf Pickup-  Leaf Packer Pickup – Crews are working in Audubon south of Garland –north of Northwest Blvd. – west of Monroe and east of Northwest Blvd. RResidential Packer Leaf Sweeping- Downriver area bound by south of Northwest Boulevard to north of Downriver Drive – west of TJ Meenach Drive and east of Downriver Park/Aubrey L. White Parkway. 

37th Avenue, Regal Street to Custer Street- 37^th Avenue from Freya to Havana Street is closed.  The detour route is Glenrose to Palouse Highway to Regal Street.  At this time landscape work is left. Only work addressing safety issues will be completed this year and the rest will be completed in spring of 2017.

This project reconstructed the road, including pavement replacement, curbs, sidewalk, bike lanes, stormwater piping, and a 36 inch water main.

Bridge Avenue and Monroe Street CSO Work- Summit Boulevard/Bridge Avenue is closed to traffic. Lincoln has one northbound lane open.  Lincoln southbound is closed at Broadway with local access maintained to Anthony’s restaurant and parking lots. This project will construct a Combined Sewer Overflow Tank (CSO) tank and piping.

Pettet Drive/TJ Meenach Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO 12) Project-  This project will build a 690,000 gallon storage facility. Work also includes repaving of Pettet Drive and pedestrian/bike trail construction.

Pettet Drive is closed to traffic. The clover leaf that services TJ Meenach, Down River and Pettet Drive will be in service. The leg that comes off of Pettit north bound redirects citizens to Northwest Blvd. Vehicles traveling southbound on Down River Drive have two options;  enter onto TJ Meenach or continue under the bridge and turn uphill to Northwest Blvd.

WSDOT
No work scheduled.

SRTC Board Meeting This Thursday

The final meeting of the SRTC Board for 2016 is this Thursday, Dec. 8. The meeting agenda is here.  Everyone is welcome at all SRTC Board meetings so if something grabs your attention, feel free to attend. If you do come to this meeting, be aware that it starts with an executive session to appoint a new interim director for SRTC, which isn't open to the public and could take a while. So, while the meeting officially starts at 1 p.m. it could be later when the other agenda items start.

Drought is Cracking Mississippi Highways

Trent Avenue, also known as SR 290, near the intersection
with Starr Road.

It's not the freeze-thaw cycle that Mississippi officials are blaming for the poor condition of their highways, but drought. Yes, drought, according to the SunHerald, allegedly the culprit behind cracked highways there.

Maintenance crews are patching the worst cracks, but long-term repairs will have to wait until the state has some significant rainfall, Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) employees say.

Mississippi soils contain several types of clay that expand when wet and contract when dry, similar to the freeze-thaw cycle that messes up our local roads. The shrinking causes a void between the clay and the asphalt and when traffic goes over it multiple times, cracks form.

Cracks are particularly bad on rural highways lined with trees. MDOT says a mature tree can absorb 100 gallons or more of water on a hot day.

Read more here: http://www.sunherald.com/news/local/traffic/article117520608.html#storylink=cpy

Local Road Construction Update

SPOKANE VALLEY

Cowley Between Corbin Rd. and Long Rd.- Closed through Tuesday, November 29 at 5 p.m. for utility work. A detour via Appleway will be posted.­­

Sprague and Conklin Intersection- Traffic signal remains out of service through Tuesday, November 29 due to damage from an accident.  For safety and to reduce traffic congestion:

• Sprague is reduced to one lane in each direction with a center turn lane.
• Stop signs are posted on Conklin northbound and southbound at Sprague and traffic is limited to right turns only with no traffic crossing Sprague. 
• Northbound and southbound drivers are encouraged to use Sullivan as an alternative.
• Pedestrians should use extreme caution when crossing Sprague at Conklin.
• Drivers are asked to slow down and be particularly cautious when driving through the area.
• Expect congestion and delays.

Sullivan Road Bridge Replacement Project- Expect reductions to a single lane northbound from dawn until dusk weekdays with turns from Indiana northbound reduced to one lane. Expect reductions to a single lane southbound dawn until dusk Monday, November 28 through Wednesday, November 30.

WSDOT
No work scheduled.

SPOKANE CITY
37th Avenue, Regal Street to Custer Street- 37^th Avenue was open for the long weekend but closes again today to finish concrete and irrigation work. The detour route is Glenrose to Palouse Highway to Regal Street.  Remaining landscape work will be completed in the spring of 2017. This work is to reconstruct the road, curbs, sidewalk, bike lanes, stormwater piping, and a 36 inch water main.

Bridge Avenue and Monroe Street CSO Work- Summit Blvd./Bridge Ave. is closed. Lincoln has one northbound lane open.  Lincoln southbound is closed at Broadway. This project will construct a Combined Sewer Overflow Tank (CSO) tank and piping.


Leaf Pickup-  
Leaf Packer Pickup – Finishing Hamblen area and possibly moving to the Liberty/Lincoln area, which is South of I-90, North of 20^th Ave., East of S.E. Blvd., and West of Ray St.

·    Clamshell Loader – Finished Driscoll Rt., and will start the Shadle Park area:  South of Wellesley, North of Garland, West of Wall, and East of Belt.

·    Hand Pick 10 P.M. to 2:30 A.M.- Finished the Woodridge and Pacific Park areas, will be moving to the Indian Trail Rt.:  South of Johansen Rd., North of Francis, West of Cedar St., and East of Nine Mile Rd.

      Residential Packer Leaf Sweeping- Working in Rockwood area:  South of I-90, North of 29^th, West of S.E. Blvd., East of Grand Blvd.  Then moving to Hamblen:  South of 29^th, North of High Dr. /54^th, West of Perry East of Perry (S. from 37^th)/Cook (N. from 37^th), and West of Bernard St.

      Martin Luther Kind Jr. Way Phase 2A, Sherman to Erie Street- Rock excavation is in progress. This is a continuation of the Riverside Extension Phase 1 project. This project will provide a route that eliminates several safety issues and increases capacity into and out of the downtown area. Improvements include a new street, utility infrastructure, storm drainage improvements, street lighting, street trees, and re-vegetation with native species. In lieu of sidewalks, a section of the Ben Burr trail will be separated from the roadway traffic and aligned parallel to the Spokane River.

Pettet Drive/TJ Meenach Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO 12) Project- Pettet Drive is closed. The clover leaf that services TJ Meenach, Down River and Pettet Drive is in service. The leg that comes off of Pettet northbound re-directs citizens to Northwest Blvd. Vehicles traveling southbound on Down River Drive have two options; enter onto TJ Meenach or continue under the bridge and turn uphill to Northwest Blvd. This project will build a 690,000 gallon storage facility and connections to existing CSO Basin 10 outfall.  Work also includes repaving of Pettet Drive and pedestrian/bike trail construction.

SPOKANE COUNTY
Country Homes Boulevard, Wall to SR 395- Stormwater work in the raised islands, install topsoil. Look for occasional lane closures for cleanup work, expect delays, on street parking is limited.
     
      Holcomb Road (North side of Hwy 206)- Culverts failing under the road. Detour in place. Complete Road Closure.
     Geiger Blvd. Westbow Boulevard (between Thomas Mallen Road and Soda Road)- Geotechnical core drilling. Lane restrictions with flaggers.

55th Ave., Regal Ave., 57th Ave.- New Electrical Poles. Lane restrictions with flaggers until mid-December.

61st (Palouse Highway to Yale Road) and Ben Burr Road (from 57th to 65th)- Road reconstruction and Waterline installation. Road closure, detour in place.

Secret Santas to Plug Downtown Parking Meters

Will YOU hit the free parking lottery?

City of Spokane Parking Enforcement staff will be performing random acts of free parking for the holiday season. Parking enforcement officers will start plugging parking meters for unsuspecting downtown shoppers as they arrive to their parking spot Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. (normal parking meter hours). Parking enforcement officers will randomly be providing free parking to citizens from Friday, November 25 to Saturday, December 31.

This holiday tradition encourages people to come downtown during the holiday season to celebrate and support local businesses. Money used to plug parking meters is donated from the City’s parking meter revenue funds.

The ‘Secret Santa’ parking enforcement officers only plug meters of drivers who just pulled into a parking spot. They do NOT re-plug meters for vehicles already parked at a metered spot. Vehicles are not allowed to remain parked at a meter beyond the maximum time allowed by that meter, per Spokane Municipal Code, Section 16A.61.561.

Enjoy Your Long Holiday Weekend

In observance of the Thanksgiving holiday, all area government offices, including SRTC, will be closed this Thursday and Friday, Nov. 24 and 25.

And parking meters are free on Thursday. Normal meter rates apply Friday, Saturday and Sunday though, so if you are doing Black Friday shopping, be sure to pay or you will get a ticket.

DOT Rules Expected to be Implemented Before Jan. 1

With roughly 60 days left in the Whitehouse, what transportation policies will the Obama administration push through? According to Politico, they're looking at drone use, vehicle technology, and airline passenger protections, among others. A round up of rules expected to be passed before the end of the year can be found at the link above, along with the ones that are expected to be undone or put aside for the time being, once president-elect Trump takes office in January.

Transportation Advisory Committee Meets 11/28

The Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC), SRTC's citizens' advisory group, meets for their last meeting of the year on Monday, November 28. The meeting agenda is here. One particularly interesting item is a presentation on Transportation as a Social Determinant of Health, from the group Better Health Together.

All SRTC committee meetings are open to the public so feel free to attend if there is anything on the agenda that interests you.

Will Your Future Home Be In A Parking Garage?

Will your next home be in a parking garage? Possibly, but not because you are living in your car. Wired says people in the future may be living in remodeled parking structures as parking rules change and less parking is needed as new forms of transportation become available along with new technology.

Currently, a tower is in the works at 4th and Columbia in Seattle which will include residential units, a hotel, office space, retail, parking and plans to overhaul the parking levels into living space in the future when it becomes needed.

It's not as easy as it sounds though- floors must be reinforced to support future furniture and appliances, support columns must be placed so they don’t ruin the look of a future living room, ceilings should be high in order to be attractive and areas must be preserved where ductwork can eventually be placed.

And floor leveling is the biggest challenge. Most garages are built on a slight incline, so water or snow vehicles carry in runs toward built-in drains. The Seattle tower solves this by building completely flat floor plates and using an elevator to carry cars between floors.

One drawback though- building for a future retrofit costs more money, usually at least five percent more, which can add up to several million. 

"Then and Now" Photos of Spokane International Airport

The "Then and Now" pictures of Spokane International Airport in today's Spokesman-Review are pretty cool. You can see the "futuristic" design in the first picture, then how the airport has been added onto many times since it opened in 1965 in the "now" picture. Another cool thing, at least one of the architects behind the design, Warren Heylman, is still working today, 51 years later. Photos courtesy of the Spokesman-Review.

LV Streetlights That Are Powered by Pedestrians

Where is the best place to test market street lights that work on pedestrian power? Las Vegas of course- where there are lots of people walking around.

According to Engadget, tech startup EnGoPlanet is testing new LED streetlights there that are powered by both photovoltaic panels and kinetic footstep pads. The setup not only lights up the Boulder Plaza in Vegas, but powers security cameras, WiFi hotspots and portable charging stations.

The system uses a solar panel to charge a battery that powers the LED streetlights at night along with the charging stations and WiFi hotspots. When the sun isn't out though, there are kinetic pads installed in the sidewalk that are connected to micro-generators that put out 4 to 8 watts per footstep, depending on the pressure. This powers those same items.

City workers can change the color of the LED lights for special events and the system even has sensors that can do environmental and air quality monitoring and "smart analytics," such as counting footsteps to determine the amount of pedestrian traffic.

Local Road Construction Update

SPOKANE VALLEYSullivan Road Bridge Replacement Project- Northbound traffic may be reduced to one lane north of Indiana during working hours. Both northbound lanes will be open during non-working hours. Turns from Indiana onto northbound Sullivan may be reduced to one lane.

WSDOTHoliday Travel Alert- WSDOT construction work will not affect traffic from noon, Wednesday November 23^rd, through Sunday, November 27^th, in anticipation of increased Thanksgiving holiday traffic. Drivers should be prepared for winter driving conditions, especially if they plan to travel across mountain passes or in higher elevation areas such as the Palouse or the mountains of northeast Washington. 
WSU Football-On Friday, November 25, expect congestion on US 195 and SR 27 between Spokane and Pullman, plus SR 26 between Vantage and Colfax, as fans travel to and from the WSU Cougar/UW Husky Apple Cup football game.  Game time is 12:30 p.m.
SPOKANE CITY37th Avenue, Regal to Custer Streets- Phase I of this project is scheduled for completion Saturday, November 26. At this time landscape work will focus on addressing areas that have a safety concern.  The remaining landscape work will be completed in the spring of 2017.  37^th Avenue from Freya to Custer Street is closed. The detour route is Glenrose to Palouse Highway to Regal Street.  This work is to reconstruct the road, include pavement replacement, curbs, sidewalk, bike lanes, stormwater piping, and a 36 inch water main.
Bridge Avenue and Monroe Street CSO Work- Summit Blvd./Bridge Ave. is closed to traffic. Lincoln has one northbound lane open.  Lincoln southbound is closed at Broadway. This project will construct a Combined Sewer Overflow Tank (CSO) tank and piping.
Martin Luther King Jr. Way Pahse 2A, Sherman to Erie Streets- This project will provide a route that eliminates several safety issues and increases capacity into and out of the downtown area. Improvements include a new asphalt  street, utility infrastructure, storm drainage, street lighting, street trees, and re-vegetation. In lieu of sidewalks, a section of the Ben Burr trail will be separated from the roadway traffic and aligned parallel to the Spokane River.
Monroe and Lincoln Street, Main Avenue to 2nd Avenue- Paving is complete for this year.  Top lift paving is scheduled for the 2017 construction season. Utility adjustments, signals and lighting along with curb and sidewalk work continues with 4 way stops at the intersections of 1^st, Sprague, and Riverside Avenues.  This is a full depth roadway replacement and full depth replacement between curbs on Lincoln Street and Monroe Street; Main Avenue from Monroe Street to Lincoln Street; and Monroe Street from Spokane Falls Boulevard to Main Avenue. Some minor curbing and ADA curb ramps will be installed where necessary.

Pettet Drive/TJ Meenach Combined Sewer Overflow Project- Pettet Drive is closed to traffic. The clover leaf that services TJ Meenach, Down River and Pettit Drive (three out of the four legs) is in service. The leg that comes off of Pettet north bound re-directs citizens to Northwest Blvd. Vehicles traveling southbound on Down River Drive have two options;  enter onto TJ Meenach or continue under the bridge and turn uphill to Northwest Blvd. This project will build a 690,000 gallon storage facility and connections to existing CSO Basin 10 outfall.  Work also includes repaving of Pettet Drive and pedestrian/bike trail construction.

Residential Crack Sealing- Working on Pittsburg 29^th to 34^th Avenue and Lacey/ Hoffman et al, bounded by Queen to Hoffman-Crestline to Haven.

SPOKANE COUNTYCountry Homes (Wall to SR 395)- Stormwater work in the raised islands. Traffic is one lane in each direction; side road access to and from Country Homes is restricted and on street parking is limited.

Centennial Trail Work- Improvement of the trail, tree root removal, pavement removal and replacement, repair concrete, crack sealing. Portions of the trail may be closed to pedestrian traffic.

Gleneden, Edencrest and Little Spokane Connection Road (Wandermere Golf Course area)- Repairing hillsides and retrofit Stormwater facilities. Possible lane restrictions for stormwater work and shoulder work.

55th Ave, Regal Ave, 57th Ave- New Electrical Poles. Lane restrictions with flaggers through early December.

Barker Road (11th Ave. to 15th Ave.)- Road work and widening. Lane restrictions, watch for flaggers.

Gibbs (Sherman Road to Hatch Road)- Ditching and graveling the road. Road closed.

Work Starting on Long-Range Transportation Plan

We made the Journal of Business today. That's because SRTC is starting an update to the long-range transportation program, Horizon 2040. So here's how it works; this summer we started talking to groups of stakeholders such as planning commissioners, neighborhood representatives, healthcare workers, major employers, emergency services staff, freight movement companies, education representatives, young people and senior citizens, transit users, people who bicycle or walk for transportation, and many others. We asked them a series of questions about what is working well for transportation in our area, what isn't, what they would like to see in the future, etc. That input will help to shape the plan. Plus, once we have a rough idea what will be in it, we will be out talking to the public MORE about Horizon 2040.

Local jurisdictions who do road construction projects will submit projects to us to be included in the plan that they consider to be priorities for their city or area. Staff will put them through a process to determine if they are considered "regionally significant" and appropriate for the plan. Unfortunately, the plan has to be "financially constrained," meaning that we have to prove that there are funds reasonably available to cover all the projects included in Horizon 2040. That means that the plan will only include a limited number of projects.

Being included in the plan doesn't guarantee a project will get funded though, just that it is a priority for our region. However, when applying for state or federal funds, one criteria is often being able to show that the project requesting funding is considered regionally significant, and inclusion in Horizon 2040 will do that.

Anyway, read the article, it explains a lot more about the long-range plan. Plus you will be hearing a lot about it for the next year! The Journal of Business article is here.

BNSF Reaches Agreement With Environmental Groups Over Coal Trains

The Spokesman-Review says BNSF Railway Co. has reached a settlement with Washington State environmental groups over coal dust
from uncovered train cars.

The railroad agreed to a two-year study of methods for covering rail cars carrying coal. BNSF will also spend $1 million on state environmental projects and clean up deposits of coal and petroleum byproducts near water.

The Spokane Riverkeeper was among seven groups that sued BNSF in 2013 under the federal Clean Water Act, saying coal particles and dust from trains is polluting the Spokane River, its Hangman Creek tributary and other Washington waterways such as the Columbia River and Puget Sound.

In late October, a federal judge ruled that BNSF could be held liable if environmental groups could show during trial that coal was being spilled directly from trains into waterways. In that case, passing trains could be considered pollution sources, he said.

Hundreds of BNSF trains ship coal to ports in Washington and British Columbia each year. Some of the coal is unloaded through the bottom of rail cars and other cars are flipped over to dump it out. The different unloading methods make it difficult to cover the loads.

New Seattle Bridge Designed to be Earthquake Proof

You've heard a lot about the tunnel being bored under Seattle for a new freeway, but what you haven't heard much about is a bridge now being constructed at the south entrance to the tunnel. According to KING 5 TV though, it's not just any bridge though, it's one that is designed to be earthquake proof.

The bridge will take traffic from northbound State Route 99 into the city. As drivers cross it, they will not see any significant difference between this bridge and traditional ones. This bridge is made largely of the same materials, such as concrete, rebar and pre-stressed concrete beams for the deck.

The joints are what is revolutionary though. They are made designed to be flexible, with reinforcing bars made from a special metal alloy that holds its shape, snapping back to its original position once an earthquake is over. A five-foot bar can stretch as much as five or six inches and return to its previous length. Conversely, once steel rebar is deformed, it holds that shape

The material is expensive and, at current prices, would add five to seven percent to the cost of the structure. The savings could come if an earthquake actually happens though. The bridge would allow the economy and society to recover far more quickly by remaining safe for people to use to keep traffic, and freight, flowing.