The preliminary findings of a South Side transportation study offer a dozen conceptual improvements to address growing traffic demands on Spokanes South Hill and the west side of Spokane Valley.


The 18-month study, which was conducted by the Spokane Regional Transportation Council, doesnt make any recommendations or prioritize the concepts. It also doesnt estimate what those improvements would cost or provide a suggested timetable for completing them, says Glenn Miles, the SRTCs transportation manager.


Its a blueprint and a tool for elected officials to use, Miles says. All of the alternatives have some good and some challenges. Its up to them to make those decisions.


The SRTC will present its findings to its board in the coming months for approval, and likely will present it to other governmental entities here early next year, Miles says.


Here are some of the studys conceptual improvements to improve traffic flow and air quality:


Havana Street could be upgraded from 17th to 57th avenues, making it a continuous north-south arterial. This would include building about three miles of road where none currently exists.


A two-lane crossover could be built at Ferris High School from the intersection of Ray Street and 37th Avenue on a diagonal to Freya Street at about 40th Avenue.


37th Avenue could be widened to accommodate a center turn lane from Grand Boulevard to Glenrose Road. This would require the city to acquire substantial right of way in that area. Miles says bike and pedestrian improvements, speed deterrents such as traffic roundabouts, and curb extensions would be necessary in the project.


Traffic signals could be installed at the intersection of Pittsburg Street and Rockwood Boulevard and at Pittsburg and 29th Avenue. Some stop signs would be removed on Rockwood Boulevard, and a concrete barrier at Pittsburg and 29th would be removed.


44th Avenue could be extended east from Regal Street to Freya. This would allow greater access to shopping centers in the area.


The Southeast Boulevard arterial corridor could be widened to create two lanes in each direction from Sprague Avenue to the intersection of Regal and 34th Avenue.


A new road could be built to the west of Carnahan Road, following a natural drainage down to Eighth Avenue. The 1.5-mile road would run roughly parallel to Carnahan.


Hatch Road could remain a two-lane road with a shoulder on the uphill side. A new road would be added from U.S. 195 near Hatch Road to the Palouse Highway with connecting roads to Regal and Freya.


A center left-turn lane could be added to Carnahan.


The intergovernmental agency held a series of public meetings to evaluate current traffic patterns, neighborhood concerns, and possible solutions to problems on roads such as Carnahan and Glenrose.


The city of Spokane, city of Spokane Valley, Spokane County, Spokane Transit Authority, and the Washington State Department of Transportation, were jurisdictional partners in the study.


The study queried more than 400 residents about their driving habits, including the route they take from home to work, and where they run their errands. Residents also were asked for their top five most frequent destinations.


That information was used to map traffic patterns, and to determine which roads have the heaviest amount of vehicle traffic. Then the SRTC mapped building permit activity to determine which roads likely would experience the biggest traffic volume increases in the future.


As part of the study, the public was asked What, if anything, should we do about the transportation system on the South Side? The answers to that question helped direct the study, including the elimination of one of the possible solutions, which was to extend 17th Avenue eastward to Park Road in the Valley, and modifying other concepts to suit the publics concerns.


That (17th Avenue) alternative had the most notoriety, Miles says. It was like a lightning rod in the project, and it was dropped.


The study cites benefits and challenges of implementing each conceptual improvement. It also outlines the anticipated impacts each improvement would have on surrounding streets.


Widening 37th Avenue could improve traffic flows for vehicles trying to turn left on that street from Grand Boulevard to Glenrose, but the idea has safety issues and high costs, the study says. It would also need community support, and many residents had concerns about a busy thoroughfare and speeding vehicles in their neighborhood.


Building a new connector in the vicinity of Hatch Road to the Palouse Highway would take an estimated 700 vehicles a day from that road and about 50 vehicles from 57th, and about 520 more vehicles would be traveling on Freya, the report says, although those numbers could change. It says the concept could improve traffic circulation on the South Hill, and improve travel for pedestrians and bicycles.


Widening Southeast Boulevard would improve connectivity, but could have a high cost, and there isnt much room to widen the road, the study notes.