The city of Spokane says work could start next month on a $3.8 million project to reconstruct Alberta Street between Northwest Boulevard and Francis Avenue. The project, which will take about three months to complete, also will include rebuilding the five-block section of Cochran Street that makes up the northbound leg of the busy Alberta-Cochran couplet just north of Northwest Boulevard. That part of Cochran links Northwest Boulevard with the southern end of Driscoll Boulevard.

Spokane Rock Products Inc., of Spokane, submitted the apparent low bid of $3.8 million on the project. A contract is expected to be awarded at the end of this month, and work on the project likely would begin soon after, says city spokeswoman Ann Deasy.

The work will include complete reconstruction of more than two miles of Alberta, as well as the stretch of Cochran. The job is called a "full-depth" rehabilitation, which means that it includes excavating the old pavement completely from curb-to-curb and replacing it with hot-mix asphalt, as well as adding curb ramps at various intersections along the route.

While the project is under way, traffic in the work area will be detoured to the Maple-Ash corridor seven blocks to the east, and Alberta's intersections with Garland and Rowan avenues could be closed at times during construction, Deasy says.

The project is one of several high-impact street reconstruction projects that will affect traffic during construction this year. Others include work on parts of Southeast Boulevard, 37th Avenue, and Lincoln Street.

It will be funded through the city's 10-year street bond.

Work on the Alberta-Cochran couplet will be done within the first 35 days of the project, with the hope of restoring traffic flow to that busy corridor quickly, Deasy says. The entire project is expected to take about 85 working days.