The Spokane Valley City Council on Oct. 28 heard public comment and staff testimony before advancing, to a second reading, an ordinance amending the 2025 budget that adds funding to study movement and deterioration at two local bridges.

The amendment would add $80,000 in new street-fund appropriations for monitoring and geotechnical work on the north side of the southbound Sullivan River Bridge and for additional evaluation of the 1968 timber bridge on Steen Road over Salteez Creek; staff said $80,000 is additional to an amount already included and brings the total study/monitoring allocation to about $100,000. City staff described the funds as a one-time, nonrecurring use of existing street fund balance.

The Sullivan River Bridge approach slab has shown radial cracking, a settling sidewalk and a large void below an approach slab discovered when crews repaired an expansion joint, Public Works Director Robert Blagan said. Blagan said city engineers have monitored the area for more than a year and will use geotechnical consultants to install instrumentation and monitor tilt and moisture through the winter to determine corrective steps.

"We need to involve some geotech professionals to install monitoring instrumentation, to discern the pattern of movement, identify potential causes for those deflections," Blagan said. He said monitoring is expected to take several months — "generally 3 to 5 months" — to establish trends through the winter.

For Steen Road, Blagan said multiple timber stringers show advanced rot at abutments and at least one decayed timber pile was found; the street now operates as a one-lane bridge for safety while structural members are evaluated. The bridge serves five parcels, Blagan said, and the city closed the southbound lane "out of an abundance of caution." He said a consultant evaluation began immediately and results are expected in the coming weeks.

City Manager John Holman told council he did not believe the structural integrity of the Sullivan River Bridge was in immediate danger but stressed the need for prompt study. "We are not at a point where we're concerned about the structural integrity of the bridge," Holman said. "We want to make sure we fully understand it and then develop solutions and bring those forward to you."

Finance Director Chelsea Walls outlined the broader amendment during the public hearing. She said the 2025 budget amendment affects 14 city funds, reflects estimated revenue decreases of about $13,300,000 across 10 funds, and proposed expenditure decreases of about $23,400,000 across 13 funds, with material line items described in staff packet materials. Walls told council the amendment also moves settlement receipts for the City Hall project and includes transfers between capital and operating funds as part of accounting cleanups.

Following the public hearing the council voted to advance ordinance number 25-015, amending the 2025 budget, to a second reading; the ordinance is scheduled to return for final action on Dec. 9. Walls said if council approved the additional bridge-study funding at second reading the amendment would include the $80,000 described at the hearing.

Council members asked questions about inspection frequency (Blagan said most bridges are inspected at least every two years), how long monitoring would run (Blagan said instruments are typically left in place through winter to establish trends), and whether alternative access exists for parcels served by the Steen Road bridge (staff said they had not identified other obvious access points). Council member Merkel asked for more detail on ARPA-related contract amounts; Walls said staff would provide a breakdown at a later meeting.

No final policy decisions on bridge repair methods were made at the meeting; staff said next steps are consultant monitoring and a future recommendation to council on repair options.