SPOKANE, Wash. — East Central neighborhood chair Randy McGlenn said the North Spokane Corridor will reopen wounds the community felt, and are still feeling, from the construction of I-90.
Back in the 1950s, I-90 bisected the East Central neighborhood.
McGlenn said the community is still feeling the effects of the I-90 build, as residents were separated from neighborhood services and businesses.
With the conversations surrounding the corridor, McGlenn said his community is all too familiar with this feeling.
"The neighbors here, especially the ones that have been here for many decades, feel like this is reopening an old wound."
The freeway will connect U.S. 395, U.S. 2 and I-90.
McGlenn said for those in the East Central neighborhood and South Hill, the corridor will cause more traffic congestion and strain on ability to access the corridor and I-90.
The East Central neighborhood council has worked with the Washington State Department of Transportation to share what they are looking for in the corridor project.
Mike Gribner, WSDOT regional administrator, said they are working to make sure all community needs are met, as long as there is proper funding for adjustments.
“We recognize the bifurcation concerns that took place on I-90," Gribner said. "We are doing what is within our power to provide a good outcome for them there and to listen to their concerns related to amenities. Now, again, that's balanced around how much money we have, and how the system operates.”
East Central and WSDOT came together to find common ground on the potential for a land bridge, which McGlenn said would help ease the damage caused by I-90.
But, Washington State denied their grant request.
So, McGlenn and the neighborhood council took their concerns to the federal level and wrote to the U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg.
The letter said in part, "Mister Secretary, I ask that your department works with our state Department of Transportation along with state and local leaders to provide a solution to the apparent funding shortcomings that are impacting our neighborhood’s access to this vital infrastructure. I ask that you help keep the promise of our government to make sure that our infrastructure is equitable for all by restoring access to I-90 and the North Spokane Corridor for our neighborhood."
According to the Washington State Department of Transportation, the current project design is set to be completed in the 2029-31 biennium.