Washington Trust Bank, of Spokane, is expanding its express bank branch at the northwest corner of Southeast Boulevard and 29th Avenue on Spokanes South Hill into a full-service branch.


Lea Werner, the banks spokeswoman, says Washington Trust has decided to expand its express branch, at 2415 E. 29th, into a full-service branch to handle an expected increase in business there once its branch that currently operates in the Albertsons supermarket at 4416 S. Regal is closed. She says that Albertsons store is to move in April into a new location near the southeast corner of 57th Avenue and Regal Street, which currently is under construction, and Washington Trust has been informed that it wont be able to open a bank branch there.


Work on expansion of the banks branch on 29th began last week and is expected to be completed by April, Werner says. As part of the project, about 1,300 square feet of space will be added to the facility, which opened less than two years ago. The express branch currently consists of three drive-up teller lanes and a drive-up automated teller machine lane, but once the project is completed, bank customers will be able to visit with a bank teller inside the branch, as well as open new accounts and apply for loans there.


Washington Trust also operates a grocery-store branch in a Safeway supermarket directly across Southeast Boulevard from the express branch. Werner says that once the full-service branch is open, the bank will evaluate whether the grocery-store branch still is needed.


Denny Christensen & Associates, of Spokane, is the architect on the branch expansion and Associated Construction Co., of Spokane, is the general contractor.