Spokane-based Fast Way Freight System Inc. plans to build three new warehouses over the next few years at its 1001 N. Havana site, says Jeff Bosma, owner of the trucking company.

“We’re a little bit crowded here, so it’ll give us a little opportunity,” Bosma says.

The proposed project has an estimated cost of $1.2 million, according to a pre-development application on file with the city of Spokane, although Bosma says the actual cost likely will be lower than that.

Spokane-based Baker Construction & Development Inc. will be the contractor on the project, and Bernardo Wills, also of Spokane, is designing it.

Preliminary site plans show the three warehouses will be located on the north end of the property, west of Havana Street and south of the railroad tracks that border the property.

Once complete, the three buildings will be used for extra storage of customers’ freight, Bosma says, noting that employees won't be based in the warehouses.

Two of the buildings will have 12,000 square feet of space and the third will have 18,000 square feet of space, the preliminary plans show.

Bosma says the company plans to build one structure a year over the next three years, with construction of the first expected to start this fall.

He expects the first building will cost $300,000 to $400,000.

Work will include a partial demolition of an existing parking area, grading for building pads, and construction of the three warehouses, the building application shows.

Fast Way Freight, which was established in Spokane in 1993, has about 50 employees at its Spokane location. The company also has terminal locations in East Wenatchee, Washington, and Lewiston, Idaho.