SPOKANE, Wash. — With the Hatch Road bridge likely re-opening in late August, the Spokane Public Schools District says that about 18 routes to five different schools will have to be changed.
Those schools are Lewis and Clark High School, Sacajawea Middle Schools, Roosevelt and Mullan Road Elementary Schools and the Libby Center.
The Hatch Road bridge closure impacts hundreds of kids who live in the Eagle Ridge area west of Highway 195, but attend school on Spokane's South Hill.
The Hatch Road Bridge connects Spokane's South Hill to Highway 195. Its heavily used by not only commuters, but school buses that take kids to and from Spokane Public Schools located on the south hill. Starting tomorrow – those buses are going to have to take a different route as the bridge closes for repairs.
SPS Chief Operations Officer Shawn Jordan said five schools have routes that use the Hatch Road bridge.
Jordan went over changes, which includes stops and pickup times.
"And so those slight adjustments depending on the route, and that's part of what the communication is out to students and families, so they know what those changes are," Jordan said.
Jordan said an estimated 750 students take those routes that have to change due to the construction. He said the district has been in contact with families in the past few weeks to warn of the changes, as bus stops and pickup times may be moved.
The routes that use Hatch Road will now go up to I-90 to get onto the South Hill.
"It's a little bit longer to to do the reroute to go around, going back down 195 to a 90 and up and then obviously in reverse on the way back home," Jordan said. "So yeah, losing that access to the short direction up the South Hill is going to have an impact on time."