The city of Spokane Valley has awarded a $1 million contract to Post Falls-based Poe Asphalt Paving Inc. to make a number of safety enhancements to a portion of Broadway Avenue that fronts two schools, as well as resurfacing work.

Work is to include the re-striping of an about three-mile stretch of Broadway between Pines and Park roads from two lanes to one lane of travel in each direction, says Ken Knutson, the project's manager with the city's public works department.

That reconfiguration also is to include the addition of a two-way center turn lane and bike lanes on both sides of the street, Knutson says.

"One thing about the three-lane configuration is that it allows turns to be made more safely," he says. "You can pull out and wait for a gap in traffic to occur and can see better with this alignment."

That stretch of Broadway is traveled by about 10,000 vehicles each day, he says, and also receives a high amount of pedestrian traffic.

To improve pedestrian safety, the city also will install what's called a pedestrian-activated beacon system near Centennial Middle School.

Knutson says that system will enable pedestrians at the designated crosswalk to press a button that will activate a flashing light to alert motorists when a person is crossing the street.

Two radar speed signs also are to be installed to inform drivers of their speed in front of Broadway Elementary School, Knutson says.

The speed limit there is 20 mph when children are present, he says, adding that the speed limit along most of the stretch of Broadway that's to undergo work is 35 mph.

The project also is to include the resurfacing of Broadway between Park and Vista roads, Knutson says. Before that can be done some upgrades to storm drain structures also will take place, he adds.

Work is expected to start Aug. 1 and should wrap up in mid-October, Knutson says. Impacts to traffic could include single-lane closures throughout the course of work, as well as the closure of some sidewalks to install new curb ramps to be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, he says.

The project is being funded mostly by the Washington state Transportation Improve-ment Board and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Community Development Block Grant Program.

The city of Spokane Valley is funding about $181,000 of the total $1 million project, he says.