Spokane Falls Boulevard rebuild moves toward preferred alternative; staff weighing lane, bike and parking trade-offs

City staff updated the PIES Committee on planning for the Spokane Falls Boulevard rebuild on Oct. 20 and presented multiple alternatives that balance vehicle lanes, protected bike facilities, parking and pedestrian improvements.

Staff said the corridor needs a full structural rebuild and utility replacements, noting some buried utilities date to the late 19th and early 20th centuries. "This is really a planning effort leading to adoption or selection of a preferred alternative," the presenter said, summarizing a year of concept development, stakeholder outreach and a public survey that drew roughly 1,200 responses.

Staff presented four main cross-section concepts: (1) maintain three travel lanes while narrowing lanes and converting the bike lane to a one-way protected lane; (2) a two-lane option that prioritizes adding parking on the north side; (3) a two-lane option that prioritizes pedestrians and bicycles, including space for a two-way protected cycle track on the north side; and (4) a one-travel-lane option some members of the public requested. Staff noted that even a one-lane option still requires roughly 20 feet of clear width for access and emergency vehicles, so it gains limited additional pedestrian space compared with the two-lane option.

A second, separate decision point staff presented is whether to convert the segment east of Washington Street to two-way traffic (options: keep one-way, convert a short stretch to two-way, or convert from Washington to Division to two-way). Staff said conversion options were examined primarily to improve access and circulation for the Spokane Convention Center and nearby properties.

Staff said foundational goals across alternatives include safer crosswalks and traffic calming (for example, bump-outs), protected bike lanes, extension of the shared-use Riverfront path, upgraded lighting and signal replacement as needed and utility upgrades. The project timeline calls for selecting a preferred alternative by the end of the year, final design work in 2026'27 and construction targeted for 2028.

Committee members discussed cycling, the Bike-Ped Bridge and connections to the Division corridor; staff said the alternatives would eliminate a high-speed off-ramp movement at Brown, reduce the two-stage pedestrian crossing at that intersection and force slower, more conventional right turns. Staff said they are coordinating with STA and other partners and plan additional stakeholder outreach and an elected-official workshop in November. No final decision was recorded in the provided transcript excerpt.