SPOKANE, Wash. – Big changes are coming to Downtown Spokane in 2018.
The City of Spokane is in the design stage on a multi-million dollar storm water tank in the middle of Downtown. It will mean portions of Spokane Falls Blvd. will be shut down for two full years.
By the end of 2018, the city hopes to be finished with a $32 million public plaza. It will feature multiple viewpoints, seating, landscaping and plenty of educational opportunities.
“There could be a food truck here in the summer time, and you could get street tacos. I really see it as versatile space that can tell the story of our river, tell the story of our heritage,” said Marlene Feist with Spokane City Utilities.
That is just the above ground part. The bulk of the project is the two-story underground storm water tank the size of a football field. It will hold two million gallons of overflow runoff, ultimately keeping it from into the Spokane River.
It will also have a minor impact on Downtown traffic. Starting in early 2017, Spokane Falls Blvd. from Post to Lincoln will be shutdown. The one-way at Post next to the Public Library will be reversed to allow cars to exit from the parking garage at River Park Square.
“Like anything else, at first it will be painful. And then they will get used to it, and they will learn how to work their way around that,” said Feist.
Eventually, city leaders hope drivers will accept the payoff in the end. Spokane Falls Blvd. will be closed for two full years. City leaders hope to have it all done in time for the holiday season in December 2018.