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A decade ago, when engineers with Spokane County debated over the direction of Sprague Avenue, a traffic jam of opinions emerged from all sides.
At issue was how to clear up the backlog of vehicles that had turned the street into more of a parking lot than a thoroughfare. Despite seven lanes – three westbound, three eastbound and a center turn lane – travel on some areas of Sprague had slowed nearly to a halt.
“By the mid-1990s, we realized that Sprague Avenue was really a mess,” said Ross Kelley, former Spokane County engineer.
Afternoon traffic, Kelley recalled, was particularly sluggish, with junctures like Park and Fancher backed up to Interstate 90. Bob Brueggeman, a traffic engineer with the county at the time, remembers certain intersections being in “a failed condition” with motorists sitting through up to four traffic signals before advancing on.
Initially, the county proposed the idea of a South Valley arterial to be built parallel to Sprague on property once owned by the Chicago/Milwaukee Railroad but purchased by the county in 1979. The road would operate more as an expressway, moving vehicles along at an efficient pace, but limiting cross streets and entryways to businesses.
“The businesses didn’t like that idea,” Kelley said. “They were up in arms about the possibility of losing traffic.”
A compromise was reached with the construction of an eastbound road from the freeway onramp near Thierman to University. Meanwhile, Sprague would be converted to a five-lane, one-way street from University to the freeway.
“The goal was to create a safe and efficient roadway that could handle traffic and also be adjusted for future mass transit,” Kelley said.
The retrofitting of Sprague, including the replacement of old asphalt, installation of traffic signals and new striping, cost the county less than $2 million, although the bill for the entire couplet project totaled nearly $18.9 million. After a year-and-a-half of construction, the eastbound portion of the development, Appleway Boulevard, was finished and in October 2000, a grand opening ceremony was held, complete with a marching band, antique cars and dignitaries on hand.
“There are very few delays now,” said Brueggeman, current Spokane County engineer.
Spokane Valley Mayor Rich Munson, a resident of the area since 1977, recalls mixed reactions to the transition. He was in favor of making Appleway a wider street with lanes going east and west.
“I can’t remember anyone standing up and saying, ‘Hooray,’” Munson said.
“There was no aesthetic value to Sprague and the couplet added to that. It was just a matter of getting from point A to point B.”
A study by Gonzaga University later showed that property value along Sprague had decreased by 30 percent after the couplet was installed.
The latest design concept – proposed by the city of Spokane Valley in the form of the Sprague Appleway Revitalization Plan – would change a portion of Sprague back to a two-way street, add pedestrian and landscaping improvements and emphasize the formation of a dynamic city center.
“Over the years, the development of Sprague just went downhill,” Munson said. “It’s just become a lot shabbier. To begin with, businesses don’t want to be on a one-way street.”
Response to the city’s plan has been varied. Early workshops and public hearings, launched over two years ago, showed residents in support of the transition back to a two-way street. On the other hand, recent feedback, such as the kind heard at a hearing earlier this month, has underscored opposition to zoning changes and shifts in design standards that would take place if the plan was accepted.
Eldonna Shaw, CEO of the Greater Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce, whose headquarters are located along the one-way portion of Sprague near Mullan, said a number of businesses have struggled since the couplet opened in 2000.
“A lot of commercial buildings haven’t been able to make it,” Shaw said. “I think people realize that Spokane Valley shouldn’t just be a traffic conduit between the city of Spokane Valley and Liberty Lake. Sprague Avenue needs to be improved.”
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By
Craig Howard
