WA: Getting There: Spokane Transit Authority looks to improve services in eastern portions of the county

The Spokane Transit Authority is expanding its footprint in Spokane Valley, in more ways than one.

The Spokane County Commission voted 4-0 Tuesday to sell an acre of land along Appleway Boulevard to the regional transit authority for its appraised value of $492,000.

The two vacant parcels at 202 S. University Road have long been considered surplus by the county and are immediately adjacent to the transit authority's more than 5-acre Pence-Cole Valley Transit Center along University and Fourth Avenue.

Once home to a laundromat, the county purchased the land in 1995 for around $75,000 amid the early planning stages of the Sprague-Appleway couplet, according to county records.

Spokane County Commissioner Al French, who serves as chair of STA's governing board, said there are no immediate plans for the land. The transit authority is interested in the land because of its proximity to the main Valley location and the potential for an expansion one day, French said.

The transit center is the largest and busiest stop in the transit authority's Spokane Valley system, averaging 820 boardings on weekdays last year, according to the STA's annual performance report.

French said ridership is growing in the Valley, but there's still work to be done to bounce back from pandemic-induced declines in ridership.

The transit authority's total ridership across fixed routes, paratransit and rideshare programs hit a peak of over 12 million in 2014 and sat at around 10.6 million in 2019.

In 2021, that figure hit a low of 5.6 million.

While last year's total of 9.4 million is still shy of pre-pandemic levels, Cortright said the transit authority has rebounded much better than its counterparts elsewhere in the country.

"We've done really well," Cortright said. "We continue to add service hours to our system. We've bounced back pretty well from the pandemic, considering, again, a lot of other public transit agencies across the country weren't able to recover."

French said riders are drawn to public transit out of convenience and need, and he believes more frequent routes and easier access for residents east of Spokane will help make the system a more attractive way to get around the region. Several STA projects to assist in that effort are already underway, including developing a high-performance transit corridor along Interstate 90, one of six projects funded by a one-tenth of a penny sales tax approved by regional voters in 2016 and included in the STA's 10-year Moving Forward plan.

Some of the work included in the corridor development plan is also underway, said STA spokeswoman Carly Cortright, like an expansion of the Mirabeau Point park-and-ride into a more robust transit center. Work to expand available bus bays and the parking lot should be completed by the end of the year, she said.

As for routes, the Sprague Line from the Valley transit center to downtown Spokane was converted into a high-performance route in September. Cortright said the conversion means 15-minute service during peak weekday hours, competitive travel time compared to cars and improved passenger amenities like the digital displays in front of the STA plaza that provide real-time data on incoming and outgoing buses.

Formerly designated Route 94, the line is now called Route 9. Cortright said the transit authority expects to complete the improvements to the stops on the line by the end of the year.

"While we've officially switched it over to the 9, and it is an HPT line, we're still continuing to make improvements to those stations along the entire route," Cortright said.

Another high-performance line in the works would provide efficient travel from Spokane International Airport and the larger West Plains to Liberty Lake. Cortright said the transit authority will release a draft of its 2025 service revision plan Wednesday, which includes the proposed Route 7. The public will be able to provide feedback on the plan through a survey.

"Having that connectivity between Liberty Lake, all the way out to the airport, stopping downtown, of course, provides a lot more options for people throughout our system," Cortright said.

The transit authority is eyeing to go beyond the Idaho border as well, by partnering with Kootenai County for a proposed two-year pilot of a route from STA's Mirabeau Point park-and-ride to Coeur D'Alene.

"We're still hoping to deliver on that by the end of that plan, which is the end of 2026," Cortright said. "So stay tuned."

Spokane Valley Deputy Mayor Tim Hattenburg said he's excited about the improvements coming to his neck of the woods. Hattenburg represents the city on the STA's governing board alongside Mayor Pam Haley.

While he looks forward to seeing how the pilot route to Coeur D'Alene goes, Hattenburg said the real reward will be felt on local roadways.

"Liberty Lake gets backed up every day," Hattenburg said. "And there's more than a few accidents there, more often than people realize."

The improvements should help satiate the traffic that backs up on the interstate throughout the greater Spokane area — which is only forecast to get worse as the local population continues to grow.

"We've seen some growth, but there's a lot more to happen," French said.

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