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City staff urge statue relocation to make Riverside–Monroe intersection safer; council discussion pending
Summary
Marlene Feist, director, told the Spokane City Council PIES Committee that engineers are proposing to move the Monahan statue to allow reconfiguration of the slip lane at Riverside Avenue and Monroe Street to improve safety for motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians.
Marlene Feist, director, told the Spokane City Council PIES Committee that engineers are proposing to move the Monahan statue to allow reconfiguration of the slip lane at Riverside Avenue and Monroe Street to improve safety for motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians.
"The legal department wanted us to take a formal action, by council because in 1904, the city council passed an ordinance actually dedicating land for that monument. Also in 1899, the council, authorized $1,000 to be spent for its construction," Feist said, explaining why the city attorney recommended an explicit council vote before staff relocates the monument.
Staff presented a concept that would remove the existing slip lane, add an island adjacent to the sidewalk near the Spokane Club, and create a separate bicycle path so turning vehicles are required to slow and make a deliberate right turn onto Riverside. Feist said the design is intended to reduce the number of fast, free-flowing right turns from westbound Spokane Falls Boulevard into the slip lane.
Council members asked several clarifying questions and pressed staff for alternatives if the statue remains. "If the statue remains, then I don't think we're gonna be able to do this," Feist said when asked about the project's feasibility without relocation. Several council members said they want public input and stronger signage and asked whether signal timing changes could address the problem. Feist and staff replied that light timing alone is unlikely to solve the high speeds on the slip lane and that the redesign aims to physically slow turning vehicles and separate bicycle movements.
No formal council action was taken during the meeting. Feist said a draft resolution to relocate the statue appears in the council packet for future consideration; the legal department requested the formal council action because of the historic ordinance dedication.
Staff said the island removal and related work would take place later this summer if council approves the relocation. The conversation included concerns from some members about relocating what they described as a 100-year-old monument and requests for clear alternatives and signage plans before any action is finalized.
The matter remains a council decision: staff described the current packet item as a draft resolution for council consideration and public comment.
