SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. — The City of Spokane Valley finished plans for a $29 million project to help ease traffic congestion near the North Pines Road and East Trent Avenue intersection.
The city will build an underpass at the railroad crossing and a roundabout to replace the intersection.
City documents said from 2014-2018 there were seven collisions near the railroad crossing about 200 ft. away from the intersection. Documents said there were also 46 collisions at the intersection.
“There are about 60 trains that pass through this rail crossing each day, so there are three hours a day of rail traffic,” said Jeff Kleingartner, a spokesperson for the City of Spokane Valley.
This adds up to about 27,000 hours per year of cars stopping at the tracks.
Kleingartner said the BNSF Railroad Company is also considering adding another set of tracks next to the current ones. He said an underpass will make this change almost unnoticeable to drivers passing through the area.
“With the underpass, the traffic flow there should continue so that it won’t back up on Pine,” he said.
Out of the $29 million required, the city has secured $6.35 million from federal funds and city collections.
Kleingartner said the city is hoping to start construction by 2023.