The City of Spokane Valley is hosting a community meeting to gather input on the project that would develop an under- or overpass on Barker Road where it crosses the BNSF Railways tracks just south of Trent Ave. Five potential alignments will be presented.
Spokane Valley officials consider this project a priority because it increases safety and improves emergency access by eliminating vehicles crossing the tracks, reduces traffic congestion, eliminates the need for train horns, improves access to industrial areas, and enhances the development of commercial/industrial property in the area.
A flyer with information on the meeting is here.
I attended the meeting and was disappointed to learn that access into Highland Estates is not considered part of this project. Solution 1 was the only solution that addressed access into Highland Estates. It showed a roundabout at the corner of Trent and Del Rey. I think it was the most costly. I thought solution 2 was a better option but it did not show any connection into Highland Estates. It showed a roundabout at the corner of Barker and Trent. Adding a fourth road off of the roundabout to feed into Highland Estates seems like it could be fairly simple. Please let me know if anyone will be doing any development work to connect Highland Estates into any of the proposed solutions. Every day it is getting more dangerous to enter and exit Highland Estates. Something needs to be done. I hope a solution can be incorporated into this project.
Thanks for the comment Gary. I do not know of any plans for additional design to tie Highland Estates into the plan, but I do drive through the area often and see the cars stacked up waiting to get from Del Rey Drive onto Trent many mornings. My advice would be to call/write your Valley City Council members and ask them to have staff go back to the drawing board. Safety is a big issue so use the word liberally. Then get your neighbors to do the same. Public comment carries a lot more weight these days than you might expect. Good luck!