City details $90 million in downtown street work, timelines and expected closures

Mark Allen, principal engineer for construction, told attendees the city is managing roughly 35 projects this year that together represent about $90,000,000 in work. “This year we have about 35 projects going… Represents about $90,000,000 worth of work,” he said, and warned that several downtown jobs will run concurrently.

Allen described several downtown packages in detail: a grind-and-overlay on 3rd Avenue (Division to Washington) that will include some water and stormwater work and intermittent lane reductions; separate grind-and-overlay phases on Stevens (3rd to 8th) and Walnut (eighth to third); a full-depth westbound rebuild on Sprague Avenue that includes waterline work from Freya to Havana; and phased grinding and asphalt replacement on Maple-Walnut, much of which will require night work.

On staging and access, Allen said contractors determine where equipment is stored and often negotiate staging agreements with property owners; the city expects contractors to keep at least one driveway access point open when feasible and assigns a contractor public liaison to work directly with affected businesses. He noted that some bridge work will require a 14-day closure at one point to complete a segment from 1st Avenue to the bridge.

Timing discussed at the session was approximate: some downtown ads were expected in March with construction starting in May, and individual jobs were described as roughly 50 working days each, meaning many projects will proceed through May–July. Allen also identified the Pacific Avenue Greenway (Stevens to Washington/Sherman) as a project that will add a bikeway and install signals at Pacific & Division and Pacific & Brown.

Staff emphasized monitoring and adjustment during early phases: traffic control plans are engineered and the city will evaluate and refine controls after initial work. Contractors are expected to provide a two-day notice prior to driveway work. Attendees were told weekly project meetings on-site will offer the best venue to learn specific schedules and mitigation plans for each business.

The session did not include votes or formal decisions; staff offered follow-up coordination through field engineers and contractor liaisons.