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Six week Sprague construction project starts next week

Six week Sprague construction project starts next week

A new six week construction project on Sprague Ave. is gearing up to start next week.

The City of Spokane Valley is adding swales on both sides of Sprague between Park Road and Thierman Road. They will be addingh city-maintained grasses, shrubs and trees to help filter contaminants from stormwater and prevent them from entering the aquifer. They will also improve existing stormwater drainage.

To make these improvements, they will permanently remove one of the five lanes from Sprague.

They will also repave that stretch of Sprague. That part of the project is currently anticipated for spring of 2013.

Improvements are expected to start on the south side of Sprague in mid-September, and will take about 3 weeks to complete. Crews will then move to the north side of Sprague to work on similar improvements, which are also expected to take about 3 weeks.

At least two lanes of traffic will remain open around the clock. Brief delays and congestion should be expected. Access to businesses will remain available.

Road project delayed - Mission Ave. stuck in queue


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The resurfacing project for Mission Ave. has been delayed while road crews wrap up other preservation projects.

Construction was expected to begin earlier this week to resurface Mission Ave. from Union to Pines Road, but crews are still working on other Spokane Valley streets for this year's preservation project.

City officials hope to begin the second phase of road construction later this month or the beginning of October. They'll release a new schedule when they have a better idea of the timeline.

Deputy's patrol vehicle hit during I-90 vehicle crash

Updated - 1:29 p.m. - Nobody was injured this morning when a Spokane County Sheriff’s Office patrol vehicle was hit along Interstate 90 near Spokane Valley.

A news release from Washington State Patrol says 41-year-old Deputy Mark "Cole" Speer's vehicle was hit around 7:24 a.m. when another driver, Zachary J. Adams, 18, crossed three lanes of traffic and collided with the patrol vehicle in the inside lane.

Adams, a Spokane driver with a 2004 Ford Expedition, came to a rest on the outside shoulder. Speer pulled over to the shoulder following the accident.

Deputy Speer was on his way to Central Valley HIgh School where he's a school resource officer

Speer’s Crown Victoria was towed from the scene while Adams vehicle was able to drive it away. Both vehicles sustained about $2,000 in damage.

WSP cites “unsafe lane change” as the cause of the crash.

We updated this story to reflect that Deputy Speer goes by his middle name, Cole.

Major traffic expected for Inland Northwest

The Washington State Patrol is expecting a major traffic impact due to two events this weekend for Eastern Washington and the Idaho Panhandle.

Troopers said motorists should first expect delays all over Eastern Washington for the opening home game for Washington State University. They said fans from all over the state will be heading to Pullman and are expected to cause major back ups.

Then on Sunday, the Idaho Transportation Department will close down eastbound I-90 at the Washington-Idaho border due to a construction project. The closure will start Sunday night at 7:00 p.m. and last through 5:00 a.m. Monday morning. All traffic will be diverted to State Line Exit 299 at that time and drivers should see back-up from Liberty Lake to state line.

In order to delay with both traffic delays, Troopers will have all available units working this weekend.

Chevy Caprice makes WSP debut in Spokane area

Chevy Caprice makes WSP debut in Spokane area

The flashing lights in your rear view mirror may belong to a new kind of vehicle patrolling the roadway. The chosen replacement for Washington State Patrol’s fleet of Crown Vics - the Chevrolet Caprice PPV - has made its debut in Eastern Washington.

A set of four Caprices were issued to four troopers based out of the Spokane district office. The vehicles were already equipped with the lights, bumpers, computers, radar - everything they need for their mobile office.

It was not a change made by choice explains WSP spokesperson, Dan Coon. Ford Motor Company discontinued the Police Interceptor Crown Victoria last year leaving WSP little time to test out their options to restructure the fleet.

“We knew how to build them up,” Coon explained. “The seats, radio, equipment - doing that for 25 years with the Crown Vic. With the Caprice - new car, new model, new make - there’s a learning curve.”

It’s a more expensive ride. Compared to the Crown Vic, which cost the state about $37,000 to fully outfit the patrol vehicle, the Caprice is priced at about $56,000 - which includes the new mobile office platform and heavy infrastructure modification.

Otis Orchards man injured while push starting disabled motorcycle

An Otis Orchards man was injured while trying to push start his disabled motorcycle along I-90 this morning.

Around 10:45 a.m., the driver, identified as Thomas E. Gladden, 55, was transported by ambulance to Valley Hospital after he lost control of his 2006 Honda motorcycle near the Sullivan exit.

WSP said in a news release he was crossing the interstate from the right shoulder and struck the left side jersey barrier.

WSDOT releases quarterly "Gray Notebook" highlighting transportation results

The latest issue of the Gray Notebook is now online showcasing Washington State Department of Transportation’s quarterly results for projects and programs. Over 100 pages of the document cover information on the statewide transportation system from bridge counts, congestion issues and updates on major construction projects.

Instead of just focussing on a bunch of numbers, the director of the strategic assessment, Daniela Bremmer, says they arrange everything in a story format as a form of journalism.

“We want to show transparency and accountability,” Bremmer said. “We are trying to illustrate and show the performance of the things we have responsibility for - the projects and program we are implementing and what the results are.”

The behind the scenes document on the state transportation system caters to different audiences including commuters, public officials and engineers.