The Spokane Transit Authority has begun expansion work at the Mirabeau Point transit station that will lay the foundation for a high-capacity transit line from Liberty Lake to Spokane International Airport, said Ryan Brodwater, the authority’s capital project manager.
The project will also create parking spaces and improve routes to Spokane Valley.
The contractor for the project is Spokane Valley-based Cameron-Reilly LLC. The Spokane office of KPFF Inc. is providing engineering services and Spokane-based ALSC Architects PS is designing the project.
The project is valued at $4.2 million and includes a 700-square-foot transit building and a 2,000-square-foot covered passenger platform area, he says.
The project at the designated Park & Ride station at 13209 E. Indiana, near the Spokane Valley Mall, will add 27 parking spaces, bringing the total number of parking spaces to 207. Infrastructure to accommodate electric vehicle chargers Also is currently being built, but charging stations will be installed later, says Brodwater.
New building codes require commercial construction projects to include charging facilities for electric vehicles. STA obtained the permits before the new building codes came into force, but the organization had already made provisions for electric vehicle users, he notes.
Leveling of the site and installation of underground utilities are underway.
“We intend to have it up and running by the end of the year,” Brodwater says. “The new building will have a covered boarding area and screens with written information and will be very well lit and accessible.”
Brodwater said there are four transit routes that serve Mirabeau Point, including Route 74, which runs from downtown Spokane to Liberty Lake. In the future, Route 74 will become Route 7, a high-capacity transit line that will extend service from downtown Spokane to the airport in the West Plains. Two of the other routes serve Spokane Valley, and the fourth line is an express route that runs nonstop from Mirabeau Point to downtown Spokane, Brodwater says.
The fare on STA is $2, which includes transfers within a two-hour window, says Carly Cortright, director of communications and customer service.
“If you have one of our Connect cards, you benefit from the fare cap, which allows a maximum of $4 per day,” says Cortright. “So if you commute in the morning and evening … and return downtown for a concert later in the day, you’re actually riding for free because you’ve reached your fare cap.”
According to Cortright, the monthly fare on STA is $60. STA also offers a reduced fare program for people 60 and older and those with disabilities. A Stars and Stripes program allows veterans and active military members to ride for $1. Youths 18 and younger ride for free on STA, Cortright says.
