Funding Sought For Traffic Signal Near Trent Elementary

Children who live close to Trent Elementary School have been bused for years because there is no safe way for them to cross busy Pines Road. The Spokane Valley Herald reports though that that may change if a new traffic signal is installed at the intersection of Pines and Mirabeau Parkway.

The city has matching funds – provided by the developer of the nearby apartments that house many of those kids – and now just needs to secure state funding.

That project, and others, could be funded through state Transportation Improvement Board funds that have been made available for this region. The traffic signal is a strong contender because the project is shovel-ready and due to the high traffic counts in the area.

It would also help Mirabeau Ranch residents living farther south have better access to their neighborhood. Traffic stopped at the light will give cars a chance to get on and off Pines from Grace and Buckeye avenues. A left-turn lane for drivers headed northbound on Pines at Grace is also being eyed.

Other Spokane Valley  projects that could receive state funding include:

• Road-preservation work on McDonald Road between Eighth and Mission avenues.
• Reconstruction at the intersection of Sullivan Road and Euclid Avenue.
• Reconstruction at the intersections of Mullan and Argonne roads on Broadway Avenue.
• Sidewalks on Bowdish Road between Eighth and 12th avenues near Opportunity Elementary School. Additional sidewalks on 11th Avenue on the south side of the street between Bowdish and Wilbur roads are also being considered.

Now That Money Has Been Dedicated to It, When Will The NSC be Completed?

The State Legislature recently passed a transportation package that increases the gas tax and dedicates money from it to a couple local projects. One of those projects is completion of the North Spokane Corridor (NSC). Now the question is, when will that happen?

An article in today's Spokesman-Review looks at the history of the NSC as well as when it is expected to be completed, now that money is available. 

Local Road Construction Update

For more information on all the projects below, and to see them in relation to each other on a map, check out SRTC's 2015 Spokane Regional Construction Map here. The map is updated as new projects start and existing ones wrap up.

You may notice that projects underway now are more prominent while ones that will start later this construction season are more in the background.

WSDOT

I-90 Eastbound/Division Street Vicinity- Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, July 13, 14, and 15, from about 9 a.m. to as late as 3 p.m., eastbound I-90 will be reduced to two lanes in downtown Spokane so crews can repair concrete barrierse. Eastbound drivers should expect congestion and slow traffic.  The eastbound Division off ramp will be open.

SR 206/Bruce Road to Mt. Spokane State Park Gate- Crews will be repairing pavement. Be alert for delays with flaggers and/or pilot cars directing single-lane, alternating traffic.

US 195-Southbound/I-90 to Excelsior Road- Be alert for southbound US 195 reduced to one lane in multiple work areas with possible slower traffic.  Crews will be replacing and fixing concrete panels.

SR 290-Trent Ave./Sullivan Road to Idaho State Line- Through Friday, July 10, be alert for daytime lane restrictions between Sullivan Road and Wellesley Ave. for paving and utility work. In addition, watch for lane restrictions on Sullivan Road between Trent and Wellesley.  

SPOKANE CITY
Let's Climb a Mountain Run- The 34.2 mile event is from Riverfront Park to the top of Mount Spokane. From 6 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. there will be temporary traffic stoppage for runners to cross at Mission at Upriver Drive and Francis at Freya Street.

Z Nation Filming- The SyFy Network show, Z Nation, is shooting their second season. During filming on Tuesday, July 14^th Cedar Street from 1^st Ave. to Riverside will be closed between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. Wilson Street between Maple and Main and Cedar Street from Main to Wilson will be closed between 12:00 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Ben Garnett Way Closure- Tuesday, July 14^th till Friday, July 17th from 7 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. crews will close the southbound lane of Ben Garnett Way to clean up the area below Cliff Drive.

Thor Lane Closure- Thor is reduced to one lane in each direction for installation of a combined sewer overflow tank. Work is at 8th Ave. and Ralph St. and proceeds east across Thor St. to Freya St. 

Urban Outfitters Construction- Construction fencing has been set up around 702 W Main. The fencing is scheduled to be up until demolition and construction of Urban Outfitters is complete in late June of 2016.

Heroy Closure- The 2300 block of Heroy Avenue will be closed from Tuesday, July 14^th to Tuesday, July 21^st for the installation of new water and sewer taps.

Monroe and Third Lane Closures- Garco Construction will be repairing the sidewalk at 1030 W 3^rd from Monday, July 6^th to Monday, July 13^th. The western traffic lane of Monroe St. and northern traffic lane of 3^rd will be closed along with the sidewalk.

Barnes Road Closure- Eller Corp. will have a 100% closure of Barnes Rd. from Farmdale St. to Indian Trail Rd. until Thursday, July 16^th.

Havana Street from Glenrose to 37th- Glenrose Road from 57^th Avenue to Havana Street is closed. Work has begun at the intersection of Freya and 44^th on traffic and pedestrian improvements. Flaggers are controlling traffic. Improvements include full width pavement replacement, filling in sidewalk gaps and pilot project porous asphalt bicycle lanes.This project will also include installation of a water transmission main between 37^th Avenue and the Brown Park reservoirs at 57^th Avenue.

Arterial Curb Ramp Projects- This project calls for Installation of ADA-compliant curb ramps at each intersection corner ahead of the City of Spokane scheduled street maintenance grind and overlay projects. Construction on Grand Blvd at intersections from 23^rd Avenue to 28^th Avenue has begun.

Stormwater Facility Construction Road Closures- Columbia from Downriver Drive to H Street and H Street from Columbia to Northwest Blvd are closed to traffic to install a 900,000 gallon stormwater storage tank.  

Hatch Road Combined Sewer Overflow facilities- This project will construct three Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) storage facilities at 43^rd Avenue and Garfield Street.

43^rd from Scott Street to Garfield St. is closed.

Perry Street Closures- Grind and overlay work is finishing up on Perry from Mission to Indiana with full closures. Use Hamilton as a detour.

Northwest Boulevard Grind and Overlay Lane Closures- Crews will be working on Northwest Blvd. from Lindeke St. to C St. starting Tuesday, July 14^th until Thursday, July 23^rd.  Traffic will be maintained with one lane in each direction.

SPOKANE COUNTY

Christensen Road Bridge- Removal and replacement of this bridge over Deep Creek in west Spokane County. A marked detour is in place.   

Wellesley Ave. Sidewalks (Harvard to Arden)- Rebuilding and adding sidewalks. Watch for flaggers.

Palouse Highway (Jamieson to Freya & Windmill to Jamieson)- Pavement Removal and replacement. 57^th to Freya is now open. 57^th south to Windmill has speed and lane restrictions in place.

Old Trails/ Inland Road from Marchand Road to Seven Mile Road- Project to widen and pave Old Trail and Inland Roads starts Monday, July 13. 

Five Mile Road between Vel View Drive and Gail Jean Lane- Avista will close this stretch of road to do gas line work through the end of August.

Grove Road (200’ south of Thorpe Rd intersection)- Schimmels Construction will close this section of road for sewer/utility line work through July 20.

SPOKANE VALLEY

Argonne from Knox to Trent - Expect lane reductions and congestion for road work.  On Wednesday, July 15, there will be no left turns from Argonne onto Knox in either direction.  The sidewalk on the east side of Argonne remains closed; follow the posted detour.  

Mansfield at Houk intersection - Narrowed lanes for utility work through late July.

Maxwell from Pines through the Houk intersection - Closed to traffic through late July for roadwork.  Access Valley Hospital via Mission and Houk or Vercler.

Sinto from Pines through the Houk intersection - Narrowed lanes for utility work through late July.

Sullivan from Sprague to Mission - Reduced to two lanes in each direction around the clock through late July.

Sullivan Road Bridge Replacement Project- The southbound Sullivan Road Bridge across the Spokane River is closed until spring 2016 for bridge demolition and replacement work. All traffic is shifted onto the northbound bridge with one lane northbound and two lanes southbound between Indiana and the Sullivan Park traffic signal. Turns from Indiana onto northbound Sullivan are reduced to one lane.

Trent at Argonne - Intermittent closures of the right turn lane from Trent onto southbound Argonne all week.

The following locations will be closed to through traffic until September 2015 for water main work:

·         25^th Avenue (between Bowdish and University)

·         22^nd Avenue (between University and Sunrise)

·         Chinook (between Sunrise and Oberlin)

·         Oberlin (between Chinook and 16th Avenue)

·         Sunrise (between University and Chinook)

Inland/Old Trails Road Project Starts Today

Spokane County starts a project today to widen and pave Inland Road and Old Trails Road in the area of Nine Mile Falls and Riverside State Park. To ensure access to the park for next Saturday's "Dirty Dash Fun Run" the County will delay a complete road closure until next Monday, July 20. After that, you can access the park through the north entrance at the intersection of Seven Mile Road and Inland Road. You can view the full-size map of the area, the road closure and the detour route by clicking the image below.

Meeting Planned On Updated Design for Wall Street

You're invited to a meeting to discuss the design of a block of Wall Street in downtown Spokane, following a project to install a sewer main there. Mark your calendar for Tuesday, July 21, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. in Room 1A in the Downtown Library, 906 W. Main Ave.

Work starts in early August on the sewer main project in Wall Street from Main Avenue to Spokane Falls Boulevard, including both of those intersections. Crews are expected to take eight to 12 weeks to install the pipe and cover the construction area with a temporary asphalt patch. The new pipe is needed as part of the City’s work to reduce overflows from combined wastewater and stormwater sewers to the Spokane River. 

In spring of 2016, the street will be resurfaced and lighting and landscaped installed.

 The project also will accommodate construction work planned on Wall Street to build a new Urban Outfitters store.  Earlier this year, the City approved a vacation of part of Wall Street to allow for the new development, which is part of River Park Square.

Wall Street from Spokane Falls Boulevard to Riverside Avenue is a brick street, designed for greater pedestrian activity.  The need for utility work in the block between Spokane Falls and Main provides an opportunity to update the street design, improve its pedestrian appeal, and help lead people to Riverfront Park.

New Law Aims At Preventing Disabled Parking Abuse

Want to use a disabled parking spot? You're going to need a doctor's note. A state law aimed at cracking down on abusers of disabled parking privileges will require eligible Spokane drivers to visit a doctor before getting a disabled parking placard, according to the Spokesman-Review.

Those seeking a renewal of disabled parking placards, tabs and license plates are now required to submit a signed doctor’s prescription ornote on official letterhead. Before, drivers needed only to submit a doctor’s name, medical license number and signature in order to receive those items, then just a signature in the mail to renew their placard every few years.

Washington State legislators changed the law last year to cut down on drivers who forged paperwork to receive disabled privileges, or who used the placards and plates of relatives or acquaintances. The changes took effect July 1, and the Spokane County Auditor’s Office has already turned away some drivers  unaware of the new requirements.

The law also ups the penalties for drivers who abuse the system. Obtaining disabled parking credentials through fraudulent means is now a misdemeanor offense with punishment up to a 90-day jail sentence and fine of $1,000. Before it was a traffic infraction with a $250 ticket.

Other changes extend the amount of time drivers can use a temporary disabled parking permit, from six months to up to a year now.

Drivers who generally cannot walk for more than 200 feet without assistance may apply for permits. 

Article Predicts Projects In Budget Will Ease Car Dependency

A visualization of how the U-District Pedestrian
Bridge will look.

An opinion piece in today's Spokesman-Review lauds two projects included in the state transportation budget for the next biennium: the University District Gateway Bridge, which would connect the U-district campus to East Sprague, and a central city trolley line through the core of the city.

Writer Shawn Vestal says these investments will encourage neighborhood-level revival in Spokane – based on providing a transportation alternative to driving.

The bridge and trolley line are on a  list of items to be funded by the transportation package. The bridge project would receive $8.8 million, in addition to city money and other funding.

The central city line project would receive $15 million, which would help with matching funds to use when applying for federal funds, as the project total is $72 million.

Vestal points out that several projects completed lately de-emphasize cars, including development in the Perry District, Kendall Yards, and work on Monroe between 8th and 14th. He also says the new pedestrian bridge between the U-District and East Sprague will help the next part of the city targeted for revival- East Sprague.

Anyway, it's an interesting piece that you may want to check out at the link above.

Paving Project to Cause Delays on I90 Near Cle Elum

Drivers traveling on Interstate 90 near Cle Elum should plan for delays for the next three months as crews repave several miles of cracked and deteriorating roadway.

This week, the Washington State Department of Transportation and contractor crews will reduce I-90 eastbound to a single lane from 8 p.m. to 9 a.m. each night starting tonight (Tuesday, July 7) through Saturday, July 11.

Crews are repaving three miles of westbound I-90 near Cle Elum between mileposts 84 to 87.  This project is scheduled to be complete by October 2015.

State Ordered to Fix Hundreds of Culverts Under Bridges

An example of a culvert that's not up to standards

Washington state is being ordered by a judge to fix hundreds of fish culverts built under state roads and highways that actually block access for migrating salmon and interfere with Washington tribes’ treaty-backed right to catch fish.

But the Spokesman-Review reports that it’s not clear how the state will come up with the about $2.4 billion it will take to fix more than 825 culverts. An average of 30 to 40 culverts a year would have to be fixed by 2030, spending $310 million every biennium, to comply with the 2013 court injunction.

The Legislature last week approved $300 million in the new transportation revenue bill for fish passage, but that's still far short of what is needed.

The Washington State Department of Transportation, the agency responsible for correcting the largest number of culverts under the court order, plans 13 fish passage projects across the state this year. It also completed 13 projects in the last two years.

Culverts can be a problem for fish in several ways. Stream flows running through a small pipe can be too fast, making it harder for fish to swim upstream to spawn or downstream to reach the ocean. Perched culverts also can be too elevated for fish to jump through.

When culverts are removed or fixed, the benefits are immediate because it opens up miles of critical habitat upstream to fish.

I90 Lane Closures In Post Falls

If you plan to travel I90 through Post Falls tomorrow (Wednesday) through Friday, get ready for some lane closures and delays. Crews will be pouring concrete for the new Greensferry Overpass.

The eastbound right lane of I-90 will close from 4 a.m. to 9 a.m. Wednesday, and both eastbound and westbound lanes will be impacted on Friday, also between 4 a.m. and 9 a.m. On Friday, crews will close the westbound right lane first, then the westbound left lane, and lastly, the eastbound left lane will be closed to do the work.

When completed, the new structure will feature two lanes in each direction, a center-turn lane, bicycle lanes and sidewalks on both sides connecting to Centennial Park.

Tracks Are For Trains, Not For Photos

My senior photos were taken in front of a backdrop that looked like it had lasers shooting across it, so I guess I have a hard time understanding this one. And I'd share the picture with you but it's one of those things you can never unsee. Anyway, Union Pacific is asking students to stay away from train tracks when shooting senior photos to make sure you actually survive until graduation. Here's a public safety announcement they're using to raise awareness about why tracks aren't a good backdrop for your pics.

Spokane City to Use Utility Funds for Road Projects

Spokane's City Council last week approved a 20-year agreement forged between its utilities, finance, and business and developer services departments. According to the Spokesman-Review, the utilities department will pay $5 million every year into the city’s arterial street fund for its use of street property for utility projects through 2035.

Those projects include updating the system of pipes that deliver water and wastewater to and from homes and businesses and installing infrastructure for storm gardens, pervious pavement and other design elements that help prevent polluted water from entering the river.

Under a mandate from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the city has until the end of 2017 to stop virtually all pollutants from entering the waterway.

Utilities Director Rick Romero said the $5 million would come out of his department’s rates, reserves and debt.

Council President Ben Stuckart said the agreement for use of streets is the latest step in citywide integration of project planning.

“If you’re going in to replace a water main, you should replace that street at the same time,” he told the Spokesman-Review. “That way, you’re not going back two years later to dig it up and replace the street.”

WA Senators Working On Bill To Provide Money/Planning For Freight Movement

Washington’s two senators are working on legislation to drive more planning and funding to freight. Sens. The Spokesman-Review reports that Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, both Democrats, are sponsoring a bill called the National Multimodal Freight Policy and Investment Act.

The legislation would be a plan for reducing freight bottlenecks and congestion across the country, and increase funding for grade separations, to build bridges and tunnels to separate roads from rail.

In a news release, Cantwell said the U.S. must improve its freight infrastructure to remain competitive. Freight delays cost the U.S. economy about $200 billion a year, according to Cantwell.

The bill would authorize spending $2 billion a year through 2021 on multimodal freight projects.
There is also a smaller amount of money for upgrading short-line tracks where they intersect with mainline tracks.

The bill doesn't have bipartisan sponsorship, but is supported by the Coalition for America’s Gateways and Trade Corridors, which is a lobbying arm for government transportation planning organizations, ports, engineering firms and government transportation agencies.

SRTC Board Meets Thursday, July 9

The July meeting of the SRTC Board is this Thursday, July 9 at 1 p.m. The agenda can be viewed here. Board meetings are held in the SRTC office at 221 W. 1st Ave. on the third floor. All meetings are open to the public and there is an item on every Board meeting agenda for public comment, so feel free to attend if something on the agenda catches your eye.

Local Construction Update

For more information on all the projects below, and to see them in relation to each other on a map, check out SRTC's 2015 Spokane Regional Construction Map here. The map is updated as new projects start and existing ones wrap up.

You may notice that projects underway now are more prominent while ones that will start later this construction season are more in the background.

SPOKANE COUNTY

Christensen Road Bridge- Bridge closed to be removed and reconstructed. A marked detour is in place.

Wellesley Ave Sidewalks (Harvard to Arden)- Rebuilding damaged sidewalks and adding new ones. Watch for flaggers in the area.

Palouse Highway (Jamieson to Freya & Windmill to Jamieson)- Pavement Removal and Replacement. There are speed and lane restrictions in place from 57th south to Windmill but 57^th to Freya is now open. 

Cedar Bridge (500 ft North of Cheney Spangle Road)- Bridge closed for removal and replacement. Watch for flaggers.

Elliot Road Culvert Replacement (Intersection of SR 206)- Project to start July 6 to replace culvert that carries Deadman Creek under the road. A new concrete box culvert will be installed as the old culvert impeded fish passage. The new bridge will be constructed in stages to allow traffic to continue to use Elliot Road.  

WSDOT

US 195-Southbound/I-90 to Excelsior Road- Beginning July 6, be alert for southbound US 195 reduced to one through lane in multiple work areas with possible slower traffic as crews reploace concrete panels.  

SR 290-Trent Ave./Sullivan Road to Idaho State Line- No work July 2-5. Weekdays from about 6 p.m. pm until as late as 6 a.m. the following morning, expect a lane reduction on SR 290/Trent Ave. for both westbound and eastbound traffic between Sullivan Road and Wellesley Ave. Drivers may also encounter intermittent Sullivan Interchange ramp closures when paving is underway. In addition, drivers should watch for lane restrictions on Sullivan road between Trent and Wellesley. Crews are repaving the roadway.

US 2/Colbert Road to Westwood Road-On July 8-9, northbound or southbound US 2 will be reduced to one lane in work areas for pavement patching.

SPOKANE CITY
Riverpark Square Parking Garage Flaggers- Saturday, July 4, flaggers will be directing traffic exiting the River Park Square parking garage on Spokane Falls Blvd. during the Independence Day festivities.

Z Nation Filming Street Closures- The SyFy Network show, Z Nation, will be shooting their second season. During filming on Tuesday, July 7, Riverside Ave. from Jefferson St. to Madison St. will be periodically closed between 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Barricades will be used to open and close the street for filming.

43^rd Avenue Closure- 43rd between Garfield and Scott Street will be closed for tree pruning work beginning Monday, June 29 – Friday, July 3 in advance of a project to construct three Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) storage facilities.  

43^rd Ave. from Scott Street to Garfield St. will be closed to traffic starting Monday, July 6 for beginning work on the Combined Sewer Overflow program part of our Cleaner River Faster Integrated Approach to Street Repair.

Underhill Combined Overflow Sewer Tank Installation- There will be full closures on 8th Avenue from Ray St. to Freya St., Thor St. from Hartson Ave. to Ray Street/ Ben Burr Blvd., and Ray St. from 14th Ave. to 29th Ave., Friday, July 10, from 6 p.m. through Monday, July 13, at 5 a.m. This project constructed a combined sewer overflow facility under the parking lot at Underhill Park. 

Columbia and H Street Closures- Starting Monday, July 6, Columbia from Downriver Drive to H Street and H Street from Columbia to Northwest Blvd. will be closed for the CSO 6 project to install a 900,000 gallon stormwater storage facility.  

Monroe and Third Lane Closures- Crews will be repairing the sidewalk at 1030 W 3^rd from Monday, July 6 to Monday, July 13. The western traffic lane of Monroe St. and northern traffic lane of 3^rd will be closed along with the sidewalk.

Barnes Road Closure- Barnes Rd. will be closed from Farmdale St. to Indian Trail Rd. from Monday, July 6 to Thursday, July 16.

Monroe Street Bridge Lane Closure- West curb lane will be closed Thursday July 9, 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Avista will be inspecting a gas line.

High Drive from Bernard St. to Grand Blvd.- Road is closed from Bernard Street to Grand Boulevard. Storm and sewer work is underway.

Havana Street from Glenrose Road to 37th Avenue- Starting Monday, July 6, Glenrose Road from 57^th Avenue to Havana Street will be closed. Work has begun at the intersection of Freya and 44^th with traffic and pedestrian improvements. Traffic will be impacted on both streets and will be controlled by flaggers and signs. Improvements include pavement replacement, filling sidewalk gaps and adding asphalt bicycle lanes. This project will also install a water transmission main between 37^th Avenue and the Brown Park reservoirs at 57^th Avenue.

SPOKANE VALLEY
Argonne Road Corridor Project- Northbound Argonne between Knox and Montgomery reduced to two lanes through late July. Southbound Argonne between the railroad underpass and Montgomery is reduced to two lanes. Westbound Montgomery just east of Argonne is reduced to one lane. The sidewalk on the east side of Argonne between Knox and Montgomery remains closed.Weather permitting, eastbound Montgomery at Argonne will be closed for paving overnight from 10 p.m. on Friday, July 10 through 6 a.m. Saturday, July 11. A detour via Trent and University will be posted.

Sullivan Road from Sprague to Mission- Reduced to two lanes each direction weekdays from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Reduced to one lane in each direction during overnight hours from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. except for Friday, July 10 when northbound lanes between Broadway and Mission will be closed with a detour via Broadway, Evergreen and Indiana posted.

Sullivan Road from Trent to Wellesley and Wellesley from Sullivan to Charles- Reduced to one lane in each direction through late-July for stormwater drainage improvements, sidewalk work and asphalt resurfacing.

Sullivan Road Bridge Replacement Project- The southbound Sullivan Road Bridge across the Spokane River is closed until spring 2016 for bridge demolition and replacement work. All traffic is shifted onto the northbound bridge with one lane northbound and two lanes southbound between Indiana Avenue and the Sullivan Park traffic signal. Northbound traffic is restricted to vehicles ten feet wide or less. Northbound oversized vehicles should use Barker Road or Pines Road as alternatives. Turns from Indiana Avenue onto northbound Sullivan Road are reduced to one lane.

The following locations will be closed to traffic until September 2015 for water main work:
. 25th Avenue (between Bowdish and University)
. 22nd Avenue (between University and Sunrise)
. Chinook (between Sunrise and Oberlin)
. Oberlin (between Chinook and 16th Avenue)
. Sunrise (between University and Chinook)
. On all projects, signs and/or flaggers will direct traffic through and/or around the work areas.

Workers Find Artifacts Under Seattle Bridge

Workers recently made a big find while building a rainwater storage tank under Seattle's Magnolia Bridge- over 2,500 artifacts dating back as far as the 1700s.

 

KBOI2 News reports that most of the items are believed to be from Finntown, an immigrant community along Smith Cove from 1911 to 1941. The recovered objects include Prohibition-era alcohol bottles, old shoes, eyeglasses, suspenders, a token for the old Seattle Municipal Railway and even children's toys.

 

Several artifacts show the presence of Native Americans, including a chisel likely built from an elk bone. One particularly surprising discovery was a Chinese coin dating back centuries, likely brought to the area by an immigrant.

 

The area was cleared out by the military during World War II and taken over by the Navy. Residents were evicted and the shantytown on the site burned to the ground.

 

Once the items are cleaned and catalogued, they will be put on display for the public at the Burke Museum.

 

Plan For Long Wait On Eastbound Vantage Bridge

A warning if you're headed over the Vantage Bridge on eastbound I90 this weekend; be ready for some
major delays.

Crews are repainting the bridge across the Columbia River and have the eastbound reduced to just one lane. Coupled with increased holiday traffic, this is expected to cause some long waits in hot weather.

You can either plan for an hour or more of added travel time or detour via US 97, I-82 or SR 24. The westbound lanes will not be impacted.

TSA Tweets Pic of Passenger's Large Amount of Cash

We tweet a lot of stuff these days, way more than most of us need to know about. But some people
are saying the TSA went overboard recently when they tweeted a picture of $75,000 in cash a passenger was trying to take aboard a plane.

NBC 12 says other tweeters responded to the picture, asking if it's legal to publicly post pictures of what's in a passenger's personal luggage or if the TSA felt they had maybe put that passenger in danger of theft or other crimes.

The money never made it on the plane; because the "owner" didn't have a bill of sale or another way to prove the cash wasn't the result of some kind of  crime, it was seized by the federal goverment. 

Spokane Valley Road Diet Approved

A Spokane Valley north-south corridor will go on a "diet" next year. According to the Spokane Valley Herald, the Spokane Valley City Council last week approved the city's Transportation Improvement Program, which included reducing McDonald north of Sprague from four lanes to two with a center turn lane in 2016. The approval came despite one council member's objections to the planned road diet. Ed Pace says the roadway is two busy as four lanes to be reduced to two.

The roadway will remain four lanes south of Sprague, and bike lanes will be added. Councilman Bill Gothmann countered saying, at 20,000 cars a day on McDonald, capacity shouldn't be a problem. Deputy Mayor Arne Woodard said he generally shares Pace’s disdain for the two-lane roadways – but said he agrees it’s a good idea on McDonald north of Sprague due to the abundance of multi-family housing in the area and pedestrians.

The council received a grant for the work, expected to cost around $574,000.

Transportation Tax Bill Passed By Both House and Senate

The State's new $16 billion transportation tax package (see below) finally passed the Senate this morning at 5:15 a.m., after being expected to be approved yesterday, according to the Spokesman-Review.

While the bill contains money for highways and bridges, mass transit and ferry projects, and was praised by some as a way to create jobs and boost the economy, opponents labelled it the biggest tax increase in state history. Some suggested it should be put on a ballot to give voters the final say.

Voting didn’t begin until after midnight as Republicans tried but failed to add an amendment that would automatically send the tax increases to the ballot for voter approval.

Rep. Marcus Riccelli, D-Spokane said the package is good for Spokane and would keep the community moving forward. For every $1 Spokane County residents are estimated to pay in taxes, they will get $1.29 in projects.

Rep. Matt Shea, R-Spokane Valley, though said the higher gasoline taxes will prompt some drivers to go to Idaho to buy gas, and could prompt businesses to move out of the state.