Originally conceived in 1946, the North Spokane Corridor (NSC) project has been on a long journey from conception to reality. Groundbreaking for the first project associated with the NSC was in 2001, and completion of the final project is expected to be in 2030 — 84 years after conception. Currently, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and general contractor Max J. Kuney Company (Kuney Construction) are working on the Spokane River Crossing.
Plans for the NSC were originally adopted in 1956 but were not enacted, as interstate freeways were prioritized over a north-south freeway. Over the next 40-plus years, the NSC was delayed for multiple reasons.
In 2001, WSDOT broke ground for the first project associated with the NSC. Since then, there have been an additional 15 projects completed. There are six projects taking place currently, including the Spokane River Crossing bridges.
Currently, it is a slog traveling north/south through the city from I-90 in the south to U.S. 2 and U.S. 395 in the north. The route has 27 traffic signals, and the typical travel time is 35 to 40 minutes. Stop-and-go traffic is the norm.
Upon completion, the NSC will be a 10.5-mile multi-modal limited access corridor with six lanes. It will shorten the journey to approximately 12 minutes.
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“The NSC will take through traffic off city streets,” said Alex Proszek, a WSDOT Project Engineer who is overseeing the scope, schedule, budget, and inspectors on the project. There is a significant amount of freight traffic on U.S. 395, and it has grown steadily.
“When the NSC is completed, we’ll eliminate freight through neighborhoods which will help residents enjoy the town center and shops without being disturbed by semis coming through,” Proszek said.
WSDOT projects that the average daily traffic will be 78,278 in 2040 with 10 percent truck traffic.
The team is constructing three bridges — two structures to accommodate traffic and one for pedestrians — that will cross the over 100-mile-long Spokane River.
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The two-vehicle bridges (one for northbound traffic and one for southbound traffic) will be three lanes with a 10-foot shoulder on one side and a 4-foot shoulder on the other. The total width of each bridge will be just below 56 feet. They will be prestressed post-tensioned concrete girder bridges.
“We wanted to keep the spans out of the water because of the flood plain and not disrupt those who float down the river,” Proszek said. This section of the Spokane River is a popular site for kayakers and others. Therefore, the 230-foot girder is broken into five segments. The largest section is 12 feet deep and lightweight aggregate.
The bridges will link two NSC projects. To the north, the river crossing will connect to the Spokane River Columbia project, and to the south, the Sprague to Spokane River project.
The pedestrian bridge is a continuation of the Children of the Sun Trail. The trail parallels the NSC and connects to other trails in the surrounding neighborhoods. According to a WSDOT newsletter, upon completion, “the Children of the Sun Trail will connect people that bike, walk, and roll to existing trails, neighborhoods, and businesses while connecting I-90 to U.S. 395 and U.S. 2.”
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Kuney Construction is headquartered in Spokane and has completed other NSC projects. The company’s website said that Kuney Construction “invest[s] in long-term partnerships with our owners, subcontractors, suppliers, employees, and the communities in which we work because this is home. Our reputation is driven by the experience, character, and ambition of our people.”
Proszek, who has not worked with Kuney Construction in the past, has been impressed with the general contractor. “They bring a wealth of knowledge to building bridge structures,” Proszek said. “They’re proactive about looking at plans to ensure we have the best products.”
Proszek cites an example of Kuney Construction working through a value engineering cost proposal.
“They made a recommendation to change a bridge drainpipe from ductile iron to fiberglass reinforced plastic,” Proszek said. “The fiberglass is easier to construct with since it’s lighter and more flexible.” The change is expected to save the department time and money.
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The Spokane River is environmentally sensitive, as it includes fish and other aquatic species that need to be protected. Kuney Construction has overseen outreach to environmental agencies to ensure they understand what is happening. The general contractor has developed good relationships with permitting agencies, which has helped move the process along.
Kuney Construction wore multiple hats on this project. They designed the pedestrian bridge (the other project elements were created by WSDOT). “This is different from how we normally do business, and it was interesting to navigate,” Proszek said.
WSDOT took this route due to time constraints, as they did not have the resources available in the necessary timeframe to dedicate to the design of the pedestrian bridge.
The pedestrian bridge includes a bow truss across the river and a box truss across a city street. The locally fabricated, steel structures are 16 feet wide with a concrete bridge deck and lighting.
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The biggest challenge on the project, according to Proszek, was related to the in-water work window. It runs from June 15 to the end of December.
A current work task the team is engaged in is related to setting the post-tension girders. “It’s not common in this area, and we haven’t done it in a while,” Proszek said.
Structural Technologies, a subcontractor on the project, is experienced in this type of work, and Proszek is confident the team will successfully handle the task.
Finally, the City of Spokane had a 48-inch sewer main in conflict with a bridge pier on the south end. The sewer was already being relocated because it was in conflict with the bridge pier. However, the team revised the path during construction so that it also was not in conflict with the temporary work bridge.
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After lots of back and forth with the city, it was decided to relocate the sewer main. WSDOT worked closely with the contractor to handle the problem, so they would not miss the in-water work window.
The project has a $91 million construction budget and is 100 percent state funded. The funds were made available via a state program, Connecting Washington. According to a WSDOT newsletter, the program “is a $16 billion revenue package that allocates funding for mega-projects, preservation and maintenance, service, ferries, and multi-modal transportation projects. ... Through this funding, the NSC project was allocated $879 million [increased to $1.056 billion in the 23/25 budget cycle].”
There have been a couple of significant change orders due to unexpected conditions on the project. One of the issues was related to the sewer main. “When it came time to test the water sewer main before it went back into action, we discovered it was leaking through the pipe,” Proszek explained. “We added [painted on] a coating to keep everything inside the pike.”
Despite the changes, the project is within the contingency the department set. Finding creative solutions to problems has helped keep the team on target. An example of this: one of the vehicle bridges is close to an old, rare style retaining wall. The retaining wall is in questionable condition, i.e. it is unclear how much weight it can take.
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“During the early stages of the project, we did change order with the contractor to monitor the wall to see if the wall was moving or damaged,” Proszek said. “If the wall were to be damaged, we agreed to split repair costs with them.”
Begun in spring 2023, the project is scheduled to be completed in fall 2025. This was the plan from the beginning.
WSDOT has completed 7 of the 10.5 miles of the NSC. The Spokane River Crossing bridges are another chain in the link. When they are complete, the bridges will help take vehicles off city streets and transport them over the river and to their destination more quickly. The pedestrian bridge will extend the trail for pedestrians and bicyclists.
