Monroe/Lincoln Construction Update

This is an update to the post a few days ago that addressed the effect of road reconstruction on business in downtown Spokane. Anyone who has driven on the Lincoln or Monroe in the last few years knows that this road needed to be reconstructed. The surface was, shall I say, bone-jarring and carries a heavy traffic load.

This reconstruction is particularly complex due to the number of utilities and vaults under the right-of-way. Fortunately, the City made the decision to replace all of the infrastructure at the same time. This situation would be worse if the road had to be "opened up" several times rather than just once because road construction does reduce access to the adjacent businesses.

There is some concern that the construction won't be completed by the end of this construction season, which would mean that the road would be patched up to winter over, then they'd finish the work next year. City Council President Ben Stuckart asked public works to address the concerns, and the council was told that there was a delay in the bidding process because of a delay in federal approval. In an attempt to get the project back on schedule, overtime hours had been paid and there would be more if there was an indication that it would help.

In the meantime, the City has announced that paving will begin on September 17. Work will continue into November.

Some business associations are working together to try to help out the restaurants. While I'm sure the effort is appreciated, the benefit of the partnership between a couple of organizations that normally work together will not bring a huge impact all by itself. The impact comes from the announcement of the partnership in order to get media time. The real way these businesses benefit is if you, too, band together with your friends and business partners and visit the affected restaurants. Yes, you'll have to cross near some open streets, but there's no danger. You just need to make a little effort.