A Lacrosse connection may be coming to Riverstone
PRESS file photo The end of Lacrosse Avenue, not far from the Bellerive development in Riverstone, is pictured here.
COEUR d’ALENE — A plan to alleviate traffic congestion at Riverstone by punching a road into the subdivision’s eastern perimeter has been on the table for more than 13 years.
As the city winds down its traffic study, the prospect of extending Lacrosse Avenue from Northwest Boulevard into Riverstone may be a step closer.
Revisions of plat maps for the development of Riverstone at Bellerive Lane show that access at Lacrosse Avenue would be the most feasible solution to ensure the safety of residents living in the farthest east section of Riverstone — a narrow sliver of land pressed between the Spokane River, U.S. 95 and Northwest Boulevard.
According to engineer reports, Bellerive Lane would have connections at Beebe Boulevard and Lakewood Drive, as well as at Lacrosse Avenue.
“The project clearly noted that the additional roadway connections ... ‘will facilitate accessibility and public safety,’” City Planner Hilary Anderson said.
The reports dating back to 2005 projected traffic problems at Riverstone if the eastern corridor did not have its own access to Northwest Boulevard.
“The adjacent and/or connecting streets will experience bottlenecks with only one developed access point,” according to a report from 13 years ago.
“Public safety is a major concern when there is only one point of access to any development and the submitted master plan shows three points of access, two of which are undeveloped at this time,” according to the report.
The report was written before the railroad had been removed, or turned into a bicycle and walking trail.
The project report indicates the developer is responsible for the cost of the two connections as well as the railroad crossings.
“All costs ... (to build the connecting roads) will be the sole responsibility of the developer,” according to the report.
A draft traffic study of the Northwest Boulevard and Seltice corridors — paid for by the city and its urban renewal agency, ignite cda — will be completed within a month.
The extension of Lacrosse Avenue could coincide with the further development of green space along the railroad corridors from Four Corners to the Atlas Mill property along the Spokane River, city attorney Mike Gridley said.