The city of Spokane last week secured the last chunk of the $7 million in federal money it was hoping to get for a planned three-phase extension of Riverside Avenue from Division Street east through the University District.


Concerns about a couple of older buildings along the route, however, could delay the start of phase one of the big project, and final right-of-way agreements could push the cost of the project higher, city officials say.


The state Department of Archeological and Historical Preservation has deemed two adjacent 1928-built structures along the project route to be eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historical Places, says Gary Nelson, city engineer. In response, city engineers have developed options for either tearing the buildings down to make way for the extension or routing the arterial around them, Nelson says. He says the city must wait until a decision is made on the buildings before construction can begin.


We need federal approval before we can use the land. Its just part of the process that must be dealt with before right-of-way and construction funds can be spent, says Nelson.


Washington State University owns all six acres of the right-of-way property under consideration for the three-phase project, including the land that both potential historic buildings sit on, as well as one of the two buildings, he says.


Right-of-way negotiations between the city and WSU have been going on for the last year, and probably will be resolved before the historic building issue is decided this coming summer, says Dave Mandyke, deputy director of public works and utilities.


One of the two structures that could be deemed historic is the about 15,500-square-foot former Ryan Fruit & Produce Co. warehouse located on the south side of Riverside just east of Division and has been used in recent years to store equipment for the annual Hoopfest event, Nelson says. Its owned by WSU.


The other building, located next door to the east, is the 18,000-square-foot former Piggly Wiggly Co./Safeway Inc./RS Garden warehouse, and is owned and occupied by a Spokane-based wholesale flooring company called InterDecor Inc., says Nelson.


The determination of what to do with the two old buildings will be made by the Federal Highway Administration, which will implement a federal process designed to weigh all available options, says Mandyke. Its a systematic, methodical process, he says.


The $7 million in federal money to fund the project has come in three installments, due in large part to the efforts of U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, says Susan Ashe, the citys public relations director.


The latest installment of $1.5 million was approved last week when President Bush signed the fiscal year 2006 transportation appropriations bill. The city had secured $3 million for the project in the fiscal 2005 budget and another $2.5 million in July.


Ashe says the $7 million in federal money might be enough to fund all three phases of construction, but that until the right-of-way process is completed, its not clear whether that amount will cover the entire project cost.


She says right-of-way negotiations with WSU are going well. Mandyke adds that the right-of-way issues have been decided, but a written agreement is pending.


I foresee no problems in acquiring the land, he says.


Ashe says the first phase of work on the extension project will take about three or four months to complete once started.


That phase will extend Riverside east from Division along the north side of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe rail line for about a half-mile, nearly to where Sherman Street would be if it were extended there. The extension would then turn to the north to connect with Spokane Falls Boulevard near the eastern edge of the higher education park.


The second phase would extend a new leg of the roadway another three-quarters of a mile farther east along the southern edge of the Spokane River. It would go beneath the Keefe Bridge, and connect with Trent Avenue to the north near Perry Street.


The final phase would connect that latter leg of the extension with Sprague Avenue to the south.