University District pedestrian and bicycle bridge celebrated Monday, with construction to start in spring

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Excitement about a pedestrian and bicycle bridge to connect the growing University District with the East Sprague Avenue area has community leaders speaking in superlatives.

Local officials on Monday gathered in a parking lot along Martin Luther King Jr. Way – the site of the bridge’s north landing – to celebrate the project and the community cooperation that led to its $12 million in funding.

City Councilwoman Amber Waldref called the planned structure a “pathway to prosperity” and part of an “economic awakening” of education, research, jobs and urban living around the University District and the East Sprague Avenue commercial district.

Mayor David Condon said, “This is a project that will change the landscape of the east part of Spokane.”

Sen. Mike Baumgartner, R-Spokane, called the bridge “a tremendous accomplishment for the community.”

State Sen. Andy Billig, D-Spokane, said the bridge also offers a safer route to and from the university campuses and will spur development on both sides of the tracks.

About $8.8 million of the money to pay for the bridge comes from a 2015 state transportation package, the same source of money being used to complete the North Spokane Corridor and other projects.

The local share of funding is $3.1 million in tax collections from the University District Revitalization Area.

The bridge over the BNSF Railway tracks features a 120-foot tall central arch with cable stays to hold the bridge deck in place. Design is now completed, and construction bids are being sought later this fall. Work is scheduled to start early next spring with completion expected by the fall of 2018. Read more.