SPOKANE, Wash. — You might want to leave a few extra minutes early for work Tuesday morning if your commute takes you through Spokane’s South Hill, where a major road construction project is set to begin.
The grind and overlay project on Rockwood Boulevard will reduce lanes and eliminate some routes until October 13, creating backups and delays for drivers returning from Labor Day weekend.
The construction zone stretches along Rockwood Boulevard between Grand Boulevard and Cowley Street, just south of Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children’s Hospital. Workers will grind down the existing pavement and lay new asphalt to create smoother driving conditions.
The biggest disruption comes at the intersection of Rockwood Boulevard and 10th Avenue and Sumner, where east-west traffic will be completely blocked for the project’s duration.
North and south traffic will flow as normal.
One lane of traffic will continue flowing in both directions on Ninth Avenue, preserving access to hospital parking lots for healthcare employees.
Street parking throughout the construction area will be off-limits until work wraps up in mid-October.
The city is tackling multiple infrastructure needs during the six-week project. Besides the road resurfacing, crews will replace aging water main pipes that have outlived their usefulness.
The intersection of Rockwood Boulevard, Cowley Street and 10th Avenue will also get a complete makeover as part of the work.
Orange construction signs are already warning drivers to expect delays and plan alternate routes. City officials recommend finding different paths through the South Hill, if possible, rather than trying to navigate the reduced lanes and closures.
For the latest on the construction, visit www.my.spokanecity.org.
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