SPOKANE, Wash. – During construction season, especially during rush hour, there can be a lot of traffic downtown, specifically around the bridges. Kirstin Davis with the city of Spokane responded to the frustration and says sometimes, it’s inevitable.
“Because of our climate and because of where we live, we have a really tight construction window,” said Davis. “We are trying to fit in a lot of things that can only be done about eight months out of the year. It just makes things that much more congested from a construction and maintenance perspective.”
Davis says even when they are working on big, overarching projects that shut down the Washington Street Bridge for several months in a row, they still have to maintain other bridges, which is why the Maple Street Bridge has had a lane closure this week.
They also have to coordinate with WSDOT on some of their construction projects, which led to the lane closure on Division.
Davis says the city tries to get as much work done from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. as possible to avoid more congestion during rush hour.
Sometimes they will do “bandaid work” on certain projects if they know they are about to tear up the road a few months later for a larger project. It’s another way that they save time and effort and focus it on other projects that have more pressing needs.
So, the city does what it can to avoid overlapping, but it’s not always possible.
