North Spokane Corridor

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The U.S. Route 395 North Spokane Corridor is a $2.1 billion (2006 dollars) limited-access highway project in Spokane, Washington designed to improve freight and motorist mobility through the Spokane Metropolitan Area. The project, put on by the Washington State Department of Transportation, will construct a new 60 MPH limited access highway from Interstate 90, northward, to the existing US 395 just north of the Wandermere area. The project is ranked 19th of 43 on the Congressional High Priority Corridor list of the National Highway System. ^[1] When completed, the corridor is expected to carry over 150,000 vehicles per day. ^[2]

1 History
2 Route
3 References
4 External links

[edit] History

The idea of having a freeway run northward through Spokane was originally conceived in 1946 after the Spokane Traffic Survey of 1946. The city of Spokane needed some sort of a major north-south traffic facility to relieve congestion. After several reports and studies, the first plans for the freeway were released in 1956 with an estimated cost of just $13 million, however, those plans were quickly shelved in 1958 as the construction of the Interstate Highway System was prioritized over the construction of the North-South Freeway. As a result, cheaper alternatives, such as couplets, were discussed.

In 1964, the Spokane Metropolitan Area Transportation Study (SMATS) was formed to fulfill requirements of Federal Highway Act of 1962, and in 1970, along with the Department of Highways, released the “Corridor Study for North Spokane and North Suburban Area Freeway”. It recommended a North-South Freeway along Hamilton and Nevada streets (i.e. the corridor between Nevada and Helena). Though a full freeway interchange was built connecting Hamilton Street with I-90 (exit 282/282A), residents successfully blocked any further construction through this area.

[edit] Route

It will run from Interstate 90 just east of Downtown Spokane northward about 10.5 miles and will meet the existing US 395 just north of Spokane at Wandermere. The North Spokane Corridor is planned to bypass the busy Division Street corridor. Construction has begun on the northern section between Wandermere and Francis. The new freeway will carry the US 395 designation, and run about one mile east of where it was originally planned in 1960's and 1970's.

While the new freeway would also be a good routing for US 2 to bypass Spokane, US 2 is scheduled to stay on its current routing in order to keep Division St in the WA State highway system. Nevertheless, it will be easy for motorists on US 2 to avoid this by using the freeway instead of Division St. On the northside, a full interchange is being constructed at US 2 in the Mead area near Farwell Road. This route uses the entire North Spokane Corridor except the last one mile section between US 2 and Wandermere.