From Maple to Monroe: Dueling bridge work funnels thousands of drivers into one lane

It's the time of year that Spokane streets are littered with bright orange signs, which can only mean one thing: traffic jams.

The summer construction across the city's core is causing some delays, pushing a normal 15-minute commute from the North Side to downtown and beyond to more than 30 minutes Friday morning.

More than 43,000 travelers a day cross the Maple Street Bridge, city traffic data shows. The bridge closed Thursday for resurfacing and general repair projects, and is projected to reopen June 25. Northbound drivers are detoured at Fourth Avenue to head east to Lincoln Street or Division Street to continue north. Drivers heading south are detoured at Boone Avenue to head east to Monroe Street or Division Street to continue south.

That detour has pushed the thousands of drivers who usually take the Maple Street Bridge to instead use Monroe Street and its bridge, which sees more than 18,000 travelers a day.

But there's another traffic headache: Monroe Street is also under brief construction, funneling thousands more drivers into one lane to make their way into downtown during rush hour. The lanes open up toward the end of the bridge.

In a private project to install fiber-optic lines, workers arrived and began boring into the ground before learning the contractor had an obstruction permit that expired last month, according to the city's public works spokesperson, Kirstin Davis.

It was a process where "there isn't really the option to stop in the middle of," she said.

Crews are finishing it Friday and leaving "as soon as possible," though will continue Monday at 7 p.m. for a couple hours, Davis said. Crews will return after the Fourth of July to finish the project.

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