Construction season is making its annual appearance in the Inland Northwest, with well over $600 million in road-related construction projects expected to continue or scheduled to begin in Spokane County in 2024.

Major projects this year include continued work on the North Spokane Corridor, the completion of the multiyear Post Street Bridge replacement and Bigelow Gulch-Forker Road urban connector projects, and the start of the Pines Road/BNSF grade separation project, in Spokane Valley.

“It’s pretty consistent with the last couple years,” Kirstin Davis, communications manager for the city of Spokane, says of the current construction season’s planned work.

The Washington State Department of Transportation, city of Spokane, city of Spokane Valley, and Spokane County each have a variety of additional projects on their dockets for 2024.

Washington State Department of Transportation

Multiple projects for the $1.67 billion North Spokane Corridor are already underway or expected to begin this year.

*A new segment of highway stretching south from the North Spokane Corridor’s current end location at Columbia Avenue to the Spokane River is being constructed. Construction for this project is valued at about $60 million.

Euclid Avenue between Market Street and Ralph Street closed last week and is expected to remain closed through May 31, says Ryan Overton, communications manager for the WSDOT Eastern Region.

Wellesley Avenue also will close at some point for the Columbia-to-Spokane River project as crews do overhead work, although that closure will be brief, Overton says. He notes that Euclid and Wellesley won't be closed at the same time.

Spokane-based Max J. Kuney Co. is the contractor for the Columbia-to-Spokane River project.

*The Spokane River Crossing project, which has an estimated cost of $91 million, is well underway and is expected to be completed by late 2025.

Overton says the Spokane River Crossing project will impact Carlisle Avenue and Upriver Drive later this summer.

Max J. Kuney Co. is also the contractor for the Spokane River Crossing project.

*The Sprague Avenue to Spokane River Stage 2 project will build a stretch of highway from Alki Avenue to Mission Avenue, with a partial interchange at Trent Avenue. The project has an estimated cost of $224 million, and WSDOT will solicit bids soon, Overton says.

Construction is expected to begin late this year or in early 2025 on that phase and is tentatively planned to be completed in late 2028.

*The Sprague Avenue to Spokane River Stage 3 project will connect a stretch of highway from Sprague Avenue to Alki Avenue. It is the final southern section of the North Spokane Corridor before the connection to Interstate 90.

Construction for the Stage 3 project has an estimated cost of $79 million and will go out for bid soon, with a tentative late-2024 starting date, Overton says. The project currently is scheduled to be completed by late 2027.

*Separate from North Spokane Corridor work, an additional WSDOT project this year is a $7.6 million paving project on U.S. 395 from Hatch Road to Hamilton Road, which is set to begin in July or August and be completed in October.

*A $7 million paving project for the northbound lanes of U.S. 195 from the Cheney-Spokane Road interchange to Cornwall Road, north of Spangle, is expected to begin in August.

Contractors haven’t been selected for the paving projects, Overton says.

City of Spokane

The city of Spokane has nearly $60 million in road-related projects slated to begin this year and an additional $75 million in projects that are carrying over from the past several years, Davis says.

*One of those carry-over projects is the Post Street Bridge replacement, which is expected to be completed in early June.

The $21 million bridge project began in 2020. Once completed, the bridge will host a single lane of northbound traffic and will be pedestrian and bike friendly, Davis says.

Max J. Kuney Co. is the contractor for the bridge project.

*Another major project for the city is the Washington-Stevens Corridor project.

Utility work has been underway and was expected to wrap up early this week at the intersection of Washington Street and Boone Avenue.

The project will shift to grind-and-overlay work from Maxwell Avenue to the north end of the Washington Street Bridge, which is expected to be completed by May 14.

The remainder of the work will consist of the repairing of the bridge deck and grind-and-overlay work from the south end of the bridge to Third Avenue, on both Stevens and Washington streets.

The grind-and-overlay work, as well as the $2.9 million bridge repair, will cause lane closures for the most part, rather than full street closures, Davis says.

The grind-and-overlay work from Maxwell Avenue to the bridge is part of a nearly $5 million multisite project that includes the grind and overlay of additional streets throughout Spokane. The project from the south end of the bridge to Third Avenue will cost an estimated $2.5 million.

The entire Washington-Stevens project is expected to be completed by October, Davis says.

Inland Asphalt Co., of Spokane Valley, is the contractor for the grind-and-overlay work from Maxwell Avenue to the bridge. Contractors for the other portions of the corridor haven't been selected yet.

*In east central Spokane, the second phase of the multiyear Thor-Freya corridor project is underway, as crews reconstruct four intersections with concrete at Second Avenue and Thor Street, Third Avenue and Thor, Second and Freya Street, and Third and Freya.

The westbound I-90 exit at Thor currently is closed and will remain closed through June. The eastbound exit will likely close at some point, but the timeline for that closure is uncertain, Davis says.

The current project value is about $4.4 million, and Hayden-based MDM Construction Group Inc. is the contractor. The city estimates a fall completion date for the entire second phase of the Thor-Freya project.

*In the Latah Valley area, a three-phase infrastructure project to enhance water and sewer services is underway and will impact traffic on Cheney-Spokane Road and Thorpe Road. Also on Thorpe Road, a ground-level steel water reservoir will be constructed this year.

Thorpe Road between U.S. 195 and the railroad bridge to the west is expected to be closed through May 9, Davis says. Cheney-Spokane Road from the Latah Bistro and retail area south to Cedar Road will be closed starting in mid-May, Davis estimates.

The three-phase sewer and water project has an estimated construction value of nearly $10 million and is expected to be completed in August. Davenport, Washington-based D.W. Excavating Inc. and Spokane-based Northwest Grading Inc. are the contractors on the project.

The Thorpe Road reservoir project has an estimated construction value of $5.1 million and is expected to wrap up in 2025. T Bailey Inc., of Anacortes, Washington, is the project’s contractor.

*Grind-and-overlay projects are planned at various locations across the city. As part of the previously mentioned $5 million multi-site grind and overlay project that includes a portion of Washington Street, there will also be work done at 29th Avenue from Grand Boulevard to Southeast Boulevard, on Lincoln Street from Standard Street to Nevada Street, and on Monroe Street from Francis Avenue to Wellesley Avenue. The city’s website shows an estimated timeline of April to August for the multi-site project.

As part of an additional $4.8 million project, the grind-and-overlay work on 29th will extend from Southeast Boulevard to Ray Street, and on Monroe Street from Wellesley Avenue to Kiernan Avenue. The project also includes work on Market Street from Haven Place to Greene Street and Upriver Drive.

The city’s website shows an estimated timeline of April to September for the project.

Inland Asphalt is the contractor for the grind-and-overlay project.

City of Spokane Valley

*Spokane Valley’s largest project is the Pines Road and BNSF railroad grade separation project. The roughly $48 million project will realign Pines Road to the east and will construct an underpass beneath the BNSF railroad.

The project also includes a roundabout, stormwater improvements, a trailhead, and more.

Bridge construction will be handled by BNSF Railway Co. and is expected to begin this summer or fall, says Jill Smith, communications manager with the city of Spokane Valley. She doesn’t anticipate any traffic impacts this year.

The main project construction bid package is planned to go out in 2025, Smith says.

*A road improvement project at Bowdish Road will include sidewalk installation and stormwater improvements between 12th and 22nd avenues, as well as a roundabout at 16th Avenue and grind-and-overlay work.

The $4.3 million project is scheduled to take place from May to October.

From late May to mid-June, Bowdish Road will be closed to through traffic between 12th and 16th avenues. From mid-June to late August, Bowdish Road will be closed to through traffic between 12th and 24th avenues, and 16th Avenue will be closed to all traffic for five weeks, according to the Valley’s website.

A contractor is expected to be named for the project by next week.

Spokane County

*The long-awaited completion of the Bigelow Gulch Road-Forker Road urban connector project is expected this year.

The final phase of the $82 million project that began over 20 years ago involves straightening out a stretch of Bigelow Gulch Road from Havana Street to Weile Road, says Martha Lou Wheatley-Billeter, communications manager for Spokane County. The specified stretch of road is closed for the duration of the final phase.

The $12.8 million final phase of the project began April 1 and is expected to be completed in late fall this year, Wheatley-Billeter says.

Scarsella Bros. Inc., of Kent, Washington, is the contractor for the project’s final phase.

*In North Spokane County, the Little Spokane River Drive Bridge just west of Woolard Road will be replaced this year and will take six months to complete.

The replacement project will cost about $3 million and will be handled by Razz Construction Inc., of Bellingham, Washington.