A Spokane resident raised safety concerns to the Bicycle Advisory Board on a city water-line project at 9 Mile, Francis and Assembly, saying construction crews left both the roadway and sidewalk torn up without an adequate bicycle or pedestrian detour. The commenter said the work has been in place for about a week and is expected to run at least until Aug. 15.

The issue matters, the commenter said, because the construction removes the normal bicycling route uphill and leaves no safe alternative: “there had been no combination made for cycling and in detours,” the commenter told the board during public comment. He said he had to ride in the traffic lane around construction equipment and a front loader while building crews used part of the roadway as a service area.

Board chair Lauren Penborn and staff liaison Tyler Cabral acknowledged the report from the public. Cabral confirmed there is a city bikeway design manual and directed the board to staff resources for reporting and follow-up. Colin, a staff member who later addressed the meeting, said the subject had been included previously in design standards: “it did make it into the design standards… on page 38,” he said, and agreed the on-site detour did not meet the standard described there.

Why this matters: detours for bicyclists and pedestrians are intended to be comparable to the facility being interrupted and to be in place before construction begins; board members said failing to do so exposes people to avoidable conflict with motor traffic. The board asked staff to identify how the detour requirement was not implemented and to follow up with the project team and city engineers.

City staff recommended two immediate options for residents: file a 311 report for hazards and send photographic documentation to the city planner liaison; the board also discussed the possibility of amending the city's design standards to include clearer, illustrated detour drawings along the lines of recently updated Portland guidance.

The board did not take a formal motion on the public comment; staff said they would investigate and report back. For residents, the next steps are to use the city's reporting channels and to send photos and locations to the city planner liaison so staff can escalate the issue to construction inspectors and the project manager.

Board members noted the issue arose during a period of multiple construction projects citywide and urged the city to ensure detour plans are in place before work starts.