SPOKANE, Wash. — The Washington State Department of Transportation is beginning the second phase of the North Spokane Corridor construction project.
The biggest changes coming during the project are the closure of east-west roadways in line with the future Highway 395, which travels south and will eventually connect to Interstate 90.
The entire north-south freeway project consists of 10.5 miles of freeway.
Several closures will be permanent, including Bridgeport, Fairview, Cleveland, Grace, Marietta and Jackson avenues, according to WSDOT. This means the only options for drivers in the area to cross east and west will be Francis, Euclid, Carlisle and Upriver Drive.
Wellesley Avenue will also close for three years from Market to Freya, which is the only central crossing between Francis and Euclid. Drivers will need to travel approximately a mile north or south from Wellesley to find a crossing to travel east or west.
The good news: WSDOT says Wellesley will not close until later this year. WSDOT has not specified exact dates of when closures will begin.
The road is slated for completion in 2022, with the goal of opening a new stretch of the corridor between Freya and Wellesley. This will add approximately 1.5 miles of new greeway.
Workers are beginning the process of paving the area between Freya and Columbia Streets in Hillyard. This will make up about a mile of the new north-south freeway.
Construction crews are also putting the finishing touches on the two freeway bridges over Freya Street and north of Francis Avenue. These two bridges carry the main freeway lanes of the North Spokane Corridor across Freya.
One of the next stages in the construction process includes realigning the BNSF railway to make room for the freeway. WSDOT says crews will work to move the tracks away from the north-south freeway to construct the new alignment and overpass over Wellesley Avenue.
Once the tracks have been moved, construction will begin on the Wellesley interchange, overpass and connecting ramps, WSDOT said. The design plans include two roundabouts for both on and off ramps.
According to WSDOT, it will take about two years to complete the Wellesley Avenue interchange.
In 2020, several new projects will begin, including paving from Columbia Street to the Spokane River and the beginning of construction on the raised road over the Spokane Community College parking lot.