Spokane group seeking $35 million for North Spokane Corridor

SPOKANE, Wash. - Thirty-five million dollars would extend the North Spokane Corridor another 3.5 miles and that's exactly what one group from Spokane went to Washington D.C. to ask for.

Construction on the project started in August 2001 and with the first section having opened to traffic in August 2009, many have been left wondering when the project will wrap up providing drivers with less congestion on Spokane's current major corridors.

When completed, the North Spokane Corridor will be a 60-mile per hour, limited access highway with a direct connection to I-90 just west of the existing Thor/Freya Interchange.

One of the benefits of the corridor is that it doesn't have conflicts with schools, parks, shopping areas, or pedestrians, but has reasonable access to these areas.

Part of the group that traveled to D.C. to ask for Federal Stimulus funds to help complete the freeway was Tim Welsh. Welsh, the president of both Garco construction and the Spokane Area Good Roads Association, emphasized the importance of the project.

"If we can move that off of Division it will improve moving people in Spokane significantly," said Welsh.

The $35 million sought by the group would fund another 3.5 miles of freeway. According to the Washington State Department of Transportation web site, the current project funding is set at $577 million, $18 million of which is federal funding.

The group that traveled to D.C. was able to meet with the administrator for the Federal Highway Administration.

Rich Hadley, President and CEO of Greater Spokane Incorporated, is cautiously optimistic about receiving federal dollars.

"We talked to all the right people and this application matches up well against the criteria the U.S. Government put forward on this project," said Hadley.

A decision on the request for stimulus funds should be made sometime between January 1 and January 15 of next year.

Washington state is administering the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act investments with an unprecedented level of transparency and accountability. Gregoire created a new Web site, www.recovery.wa.gov, so every Washingtonian can see where tax dollars are going and hold government accountable for the results. Visit the main American Recovery and Reinvestment Act here: http://www.recovery.gov/.

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