Spokane County seeks $25 million federal BUILD grant for Argonne Road corridor improvements
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Summary
County staff presented a $40M Argonne Road multimodal safety project and will request $25M from USDOT’s BUILD program; $7M in match is secured, $7.8M remains unsecured and would be pursued through future grants if the BUILD award is not fully covering.
Matt Zaracore and Randy Collier briefed the Board of County Commissioners on Feb. 3 on a federal BUILD grant application for the Argonne Road Freight Active Transportation and Safety Project.
The full project is estimated at about $40 million. Spokane County will request the full BUILD maximum of $25 million and is counting about $7 million in already secured match from prior grants and state funds; approximately $7.8 million of funding remains unsecured and would be pursued through additional grants or phased construction. Zaracore said the project bundles about 16 components, including reconstruction from the Spokane River Bridge to the Bigelow intersection, a safety/capacity improvement at Argonne and Upriver, stormwater mitigation along the corridor, ADA ramp and sidewalk gap work, and a proposed separate grade crossing of the Centennial Trail at Baringo to reduce conflicts.
Staff said the project timeline begins in 2027 (agreement establishment if funded) and is structured to meet the federal construction-obligation deadline of Sept. 2030, with phasing possible if needed. Zaracore noted collaboration with local jurisdictions and other projects south of the corridor, including the DOT, STA, Millwood and the City of Valley, as supportive context for the application.
Why it matters: A BUILD award would fund a regionally significant corridor project that county staff say improves freight, active-transportation safety and addresses recurring stormwater flooding and maintenance issues on Argonne Road.
What’s next: Staff will submit the application by the Feb. 24 deadline and continue to pursue remaining match funding; commissioners offered support and asked staff to proceed.