US 395 - North Spokane Corridor

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Workers setting girders at the US 2 Interchange.




US 2 Interchange under construction.





 

Why is WSDOT building the North Spokane Corridor?
This project improves mobility by allowing motorists and freight to move north and south through metropolitan Spokane, from I-90 to US 395 at Wandermere. Once complete, the NSC will decrease travel time, fuel usage, and congestion, while improving safety by reducing collisions on local arterials.
The NSC is considered a multi-modal corridor; as a freeway, it maximizes vehicle capacity and contributes to freight hauling competitiveness, by moving vehicles and freight traffic away from local arterials and on to a free flowing freeway. It supports alternative transportation choices by providing: park and ride lots, vanpooling operations, reserves enough right-of-way for high capacity transit and provides a pedestrian/bicycle trail along its full length.

The End Result
When complete, the North Spokane Corridor will be a 60-mile per hour, 10.5 mile-long north/south limited access facility; that connects to I-90 on the south end (just west of the existing Thor/Freya Interchange) and connects to existing US 2 (at Farwell Road) and US 395 (at Wandermere) on the north end.
Interchanges will be built at locations along the corridor, to include: Trent Avenue (SR 290), Wellesley Avenue, Francis/Freya Street, Parksmith Drive, US 2, and US 395 at Wandermere.

Project map showing corridor route and interchange locations. (pdf 406 kb)

Project Benefits
Consider the following benefits:

• Travel time between Wandermere and I-90 will be shortened to approximately 12 minutes.
• The NSC is a free flowing freeway facility that doesn’t conflict with schools, parks or shopping areas; but still will have reasonable access to them.
• Fewer trucks will be on the local arterials, because they will be using the freeway for north and south destinations points.
• Spokane will have cleaner air, because drivers won’t be stopping and idling at intersections.
• Provides a safe bicycle/pedestrian trail that connects to the Centennial Trail and other established trail systems, as well as neighborhoods within the Spokane area.
• The NSC creates jobs that will improve the economic vitality of the region.

What is the project timeline?

• In April 1997, the NSC Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) was approved by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). In September 2000, a supplemental FEIS was approved for the Spokane River north to US 395 at Wandermere section.
• In August of 2001, the North Spokane Corridor broke ground with the first construction project titled “Hawthorne Road to US 2 - Grading”. This was a grading and drainage project that was completed in July 2002.
• In February 2003, a Design and Access Hearing was held for the I-90 to the Spokane River section. In May 2005, an EIS re-evaluation was approved by the FHWA, for this section. The “Findings and Order” was adopted in July 2005, and the final limited access was established in October 2005.
• In 2003, the State Nickel Gas Tax Package allocated $321 million to fund the project between 2003 and 2011; this allocation provided funds for design, right-of-way purchases and construction of the Francis to Farwell and the US 2 Wandermere & US 2 Lowering projects.
• In 2005, the State 9.5 cent, Transportation Partnership Act (TPA) gas tax allocated $152 million to fund the project between 2007 and 2019. This allocation provides funds for right-of-way acquisitions north and south along I-90, between the Liberty Park Interchange and the Sprague Avenue Interchange, for the future Collector/Distributor System and to design and construct a noise wall project along this same section of I-90. This allocation also provided funding to design the “shovel ready”, southbound lanes project between the Francis/Freya and Farwell Interchanges.
• In 2009, the Washington State Legislature allocated an additional $28 million in TPA funds for the corridor. WSDOT chose to use this funding in the Hillyard area, from the Spokane River to the Francis/Freya Interchange. This additional $28 million allocation brings the total TPA funding for the corridor to $180 million ($152 million in 2005, plus $28 million in 2009).
• On August 22, 2009, the first Nickel Project, Francis to Farwell (between the Francis/Freya and Farwell Interchanges) opened to traffic. It is anticipated that the second Nickel Project, US 2 Wandermere & US 2 Lowering (between the Farwell and Wandermere Interchanges) will be open to traffic by late summer 2011.

How long will it take to build the NSC?

This is a frequently asked question and the answer depends on funding commitments made by the State of Washington and the Federal Highway Administration. See the Financial Information section below for current funding levels. Because future funding levels are unpredictable, the exact construction project schedule cannot be determined.

Financial Information
Current Project Funding - The design, construction, and right-of-way projects that are currently underway are funded through the following sources:
Federal Funding - $18 million
State Funding - $559 million
Total Funding Available From All Sources - $577 million


The overall corridor funding status as of December 2009.

Since 1990, WSDOT has been allocated $577 million for the NSC Project; of that amount, $310 million has been expended to date on environmental issues, design work, right-of-way acquisitions and highway construction work.

It will take an estimated $1.6 billion (in 2008 dollars) to complete the rest of the corridor. However, estimates utilizing a 20-year build out plan calculate the project cost at approximately $2.8 billion including risk and inflation. These values are subject to price escalation due to market trends in commodities (oil, steel, concrete), construction costs, real estate prices, etc. For this reason, WSDOT will continue to use independent risk assessment teams to verify the estimate.

Estimate Revisions - WSDOT revises their estimates on an annual basis with a risk assessment process, and adjusts their estimates accordingly.

How can I get more information?
Contact:
Project Engineer
Larry Larson P.E.
WSDOT Project Office
2714 N. Mayfair
Spokane, WA 99207
Phone: (509) 324-6091
E-mail: SR395NSC@wsdot.wa.gov

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