WSDOT - North Spokane Corridor Quick Facts

Idea conceived in 1946.
1973 freeway through Hamilton/Nevada corridor stopped by citizen groups and legislators.
Ranked 19th of 80 on the Congressional High Priority Corridor list of the National Highway System.
Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) approved in April 1997.
Supplemental FEIS approved in September 2000 for the area from the Spokane River north to US 395 at Wandermere.
I-90 to Spokane River – EIS re-evaluation completed in May 2005.
The North Spokane Corridor (NSC) is a 60 mile per hour, 10.5 mile long limited access facility linking, I-90 and existing US 2 and US 395.

Creates or saves an estimated 10 jobs for each $1 million spent which included jobs on the project, jobs producing materials, and other employment in the community.
Provides economic growth opportunities for adjacent commercial and industrial development.
Encourages alternate transportation options by providing park and ride lots, reserving space for high capacity transit, and constructing a pedestrian/bicycle trail between I-90 and Wandermere.
The US 395 corridor carries over 7.2 million tons of freight ($13.5 billion) annually through Spokane. Between 1993 and 2003, freight shipments on US 395 have increased 58%. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) created expanded freight transport among Canada, the United States, and Mexico.
Gas savings - estimated 1.7 million gallons of gas annually.
Improves air quality by reducing regional emissions by 2.4 million pounds of carbon dioxide each year.
Improves safety by an estimated $22 million dollars per year in societal costs from collision reduction.
Currently there are only two north-south trade routes through Spokane – both are on surface streets that run through neighborhoods, past shopping malls, schools, and parks.
Reduces travel time by an estimated two million hours each year, computing to a dollar savings of approximately $28 million.

$40 million dollars in "shovel ready" work is ready for construction. The contract would build the southbound lanes between the Francis/Freya and Farwell interchanges. This two year construction project builds an additional three lanes and completes the ultimate six-lane section of the NSC in this area.
Project costs for the Spokane River to the Francis/Freya interchange are approximately $370 million. Construction contracts could be staged to provide an interim drivable section for approximately $300 million, with the ability to expand in the future to the ultimate design.
Estimated remaining project cost: $1.6 billion in 2008 dollars. Value includes the "shovel ready" work and the Spokane River to Francis/Freya segments.
With a 20 year build out plan, the project cost is $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.
To date, received a total of $18 million of Federal and 514 million in State funds since 1998.
Allocated $321 million between 2003 and 2011 for design, right-of-way purchase, and construction (2003 Nickel Package).
Allocated $152 million between 2007 and 2019 for design, right-of-way purchasing, and construction (2005 Transportation Partnership Act).

1997 random survey throughout Spokane County showed 84% support of the North Spokane Corridor project, compared to a similar survey in 1973 with support of 57%.
Written support from: Senator Patty Murray, Congresswoman Cathy McMorris-Rodgers, Former Congressman George R. Nethercutt, Jr., Spokane area Legislators, Spokane City Council, City of Spokane Valley, Spokane Area Chamber of Commerce, City of Deer Park, Ministry of Transportation - Province of British Columbia, Inland Northwest Associated General Contractors of America, Community Colleges of Spokane, Pend Oreille County Public Utility District, Bemiss Neighborhood Council, Association of Notheast Washington Mayors.

August 2001 Corridor Groundbreaking and start of first construction project – Hawthorne to US 2 Grading. Project completed in July 2002.
First of eight contracts started in March 2004 funded by the 2003 "Nickel" Legislation. Since then, four contracts have been completed, three are under construction, and one will advertise for construction in May 2009.
First segment between Francis/Freya and Farwell interchanges planned to open for traffic in August 2009 with the Farwell to Wandermere segment planned to open for traffic in 2011. Approximately 5.7 miles of the NSC corridor will be operational!
Design efforts are underway from the Spokane River to the Francis/Freya interchange. Refinements to the existing design have resulted in approzimately $330 million dollars in project savings. Depending upon funding, construction could begin as early as 2012, completing an additional three miles of the corridor.
Right-of-Way purchases continue along the Interstate 90 corridor. Noise wall construction to follow in 2013.

North Spokane Corridor Quick Facts