Spokane's North Spokane Corridor project has been in the works for a very long time. So far, it hasn't caused much traffic disruption in the city.
That is about to change.
Many residents of northeast Spokane likely received a flier detailing a number of road closures that will begin in the summer of 2019.
The first closure will be Euclid Avenue at Market Street. That intersection will be under construction from late winter until late spring, at which point Euclid will re-open.
Once Euclid is open, several other streets will begin seeing closures.
Wellesley Avenue, an arterial, will close between Market and Freya Street until 2022. For the next three years, drivers will be detoured north to Francis Avenue. The state department of transportation estimates that will add about two and a half minutes of driving time.
Though they looked at ways to keep Wellesley open during construction, WSDOT says those options weren't feasible.
"We decided: Full closure. Get in, get out. And even though three years sounds like a long time, it's essentially a sprint," said project engineer Bob Hilmes.
Farther south on Market, six different roads will eventually be shut down permanently. Drivers trying to cross Market at Bridgeport, Fairview, Cleveland, Grace, Marietta or Jackson will be detoured to Euclid or Carlisle.
All of these closures should allow the new highway to be usable as far south as Wellesley by 2022.
Here are some renderings of what the corridor will look like from a few different viewpoints upon completion.
The entire project is expected to be complete around 2028 or 2029.
