The bad news – One eastbound lane of upper Spokane Street is closing for approximately six weeks so that crews can connect the new eastbound 4th Avenue off-ramp to the upper roadway.
The good news – The new eastbound 4th Avenue off-ramp is expected to be open for use with the completion of this work.
The bad news – To install the barriers necessary for the one lane closure crews have to take both eastbound lanes for several hours overnight, starting July 19th at 9 p.m. By 5 a.m. one eastbound lane on the Spokane Viaduct will open for use (for those six weeks).
The good news – As of tomorrow morning eastbound lanes of lower Spokane Street between East Marginal Way S and Fourth Avenue S, which have been closed for a year and a half, will open to traffic.
Top of the new eastbound 4th Avenue off-ramp from the Spokane Street Viaduct, where it meets with the upper roadway
Wondering what crews will be doing, specifically, to fuse the ramp and elevated structure? Between July 19th and early September SDOT’s contractor will erect shoring; set a temporary barrier; relocate and extend information technology conduit and wire; remove existing mounted lighting; saw-cut the old S Spokane street overhang at the connection point; demolish the overhang and pier caps; straighten bar and doweling for the new infrastructure configuration; install reinforcing steel; build forms and pour concrete; form barrier tie-ins; pour barrier concrete; remove forms and patching; hang signage; place an epoxy coat on the roadway once all concrete has cured – which for this level of pour can take up to two weeks; and then stripe the roadway.