The Washington state Department of Transportation is set to begin the next phase of construction on the North Spokane Corridor later this month, with what’s being called the Columbia-Freya project, says Al Gilson, Spokane-based spokesman for the department’s Eastern Region.

The project, which has an estimated cost of $8.2 million, has been awarded to Spokane-based Acme Concrete Paving Inc.

Gilson says the project involves building the next portion of freeway, a nearly one-mile section that will extend the freeway southward from the point where construction stopped for the winter at the new Freya bridges.

“This project would be starting in mid- to late June and likely reach completion in the late fall,” he says. “It includes building the asphalt base and concrete lanes for the freeway from the Freya bridges, southward to the vicinity of Columbia Avenue.”

Gilson says the Columbia-Freya project span won’t open to traffic at the end of construction, as another section of freeway will need to be completed first.

“We continue to build the freeway from the north end toward Interstate 90 and are currently working on design plans for the next section, which will run down to Wellesley,” he says. “Plans aren’t yet finalized, so I don’t have any additional details at this time.”

Gilson says WSDOT also is continuing work on the $7.6 million Freya Street structures project that will include two main-line freeway bridges over Freya, just north of Francis Avenue.

Spokane-based Max J. Kuney, the contractor for that project, started construction last month and likely will complete it during the current construction season, Gilson says.

So far, the department has completed 5.5 miles of the 10.5-mile, $1.49 billion North Spokane Corridor project, which ultimately will create a freeway linking Interstate 90 to the U.S. 395 north of Spokane.

The cost to complete the North Spokane Corridor from its current southernmost point to I-90 has been estimated at $750 million in today’s dollars. 

Accounting for anticipated inflation in the years in which construction is scheduled to occur, the cost is estimated to total $879 million. The bulk of construction was approved by the state Legislature to be funded 2019 to 2027.