The Washington state Department of Transportation recently received the remaining portion of funding it needs to construct a new interchange at Cheney-Spokane Road and U.S. Highway 195, in southwest Spokane.

The estimated $13 million project involves constructing both north and southbound on- and off-ramps where Cheney-Spokane meets U.S. 195, about 2 miles south of the Interstate-90 and U.S. 195 interchange.

Al Gilson, a Spokane-based spokesman for the DOT, says it recently was awarded about $11 million in construction funds by the state Legislature, which since late April has been in a special session to balance the budget.

Last fall, the DOT received about $2 million in grant funding from the Washington state Traffic Safety Commission for the preliminary design of the new interchange and to purchase rights-of-way for the project.

He says the DOT plans to advertise for bids for a general contractor early next year, with construction expected to begin in spring of 2012. At this time, the DOT is finishing the project design and also is working to obtain the last pieces of land needed for the project, he says.

Gilson says that since the DOT received adequate funding for the project's construction, the interchange now will be what's called a full-diamond interchange. He says that design scheme varies from an initial plan for a half-diamond interchange. The difference between the two is that the full-diamond interchange includes both on- and off-ramps on the north and southbound lanes, while the half-diamond design only had ramps for the northbound lane of traffic.

The construction of an interchange at the junction of Cheney-Spokane and U.S. 195 is being built with the intent of improving traffic flow and safety, the DOT's website says.

The new interchange to be constructed at that busy intersection is the first of three planned interchanges along the stretch of U.S. 195 that travels through south Spokane. The next two projects, which have yet to receive funding, include interchanges at U.S. 195 and Hatch Road and at that highway and Meadowlane Road, the primary entry to the large Eagle Ridge subdivision.