Existed: 1964 – present Counties: Spokane Constructed 1964 | West end: I‑90 in Spokane Length 29.58 km | |
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East end: SH 53 at Idaho state border County Spokane County, Washington | ||
State Route 290 (SR 290), named Hamilton Street and Trent Avenue, is an 18.38-mile (29.58 km) long state highway serving Spokane County in the U.S. state of Washington. SR 290 travels parallel to a Union Pacific railroad from Interstate 90 (I-90) in Spokane through Millwood and across the Spokane River three times towards Spokane Valley, where the highway intersects SR 27. From Spokane Valley, the roadway continues to the Idaho state border, where it becomes Idaho State Highway 53.
Contents
Map of WA-290, Washington, USA
The current route of SR 290 was formerly county roads between 1901 and 1937 when it became Secondary State Highway 2H (SSH 2H). The highway ran from U.S. Route 2 (US 2) and US 395 in Downtown Spokane to Idaho until a 1964 renumbering of state highways, which re-designated SSH 2H as SR 290. A short spur route connecting the main highway to I-90 was also added during the renumbering, but SR 290 was realigned to replace the route in 2005.
Route description
SR 290 begins as a short divided highway at a directional T-interchange with Interstate 90 (I-90) east of downtown Spokane. This interchange was originally built for a planned North Spokane Corridor in the 1970s. The freeway continues north to an interchange with 2nd Avenue that only allows eastbound traffic to enter and westbound traffic to exit the freeway. The highway is named Hamilton Street and travels north over Sprague Avenue, BNSF Railway tracks, and the Spokane River before intersecting Trent Avenue, the former route of the roadway prior to 2005. At the intersection, located near Gonzaga University, SR 290 turns east and becomes Trent Avenue before crossing the Spokane River again. Trent Avenue travels northeast through an industrial district, paralleling the Spokane International branch of the Union Pacific Railroad, through Millwood before intersecting SR 27, locally named Pines Road. The highway crosses the Spokane River a third time and enters the Trentwood neighborhood of Spokane Valley, where it intersects Sullivan Road by way of a diamond interchange. From Spokane Valley, the roadway travels northeast through farmland to Newman Lake, where it crosses into Idaho and becomes Idaho State Highway 53, which continues east to Rathdrum as Trent Road.
Every year the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) conducts a series of surveys on its highways in the state to measure traffic volume. This is expressed in terms of average annual daily traffic (AADT), which is a measure of traffic volume for any average day of the year. In 2009, WSDOT calculated that as few as 6,800 cars traveled through Millwood, and as many as 35,00 cars on the short divided highway north of I-90.
History
A road following the Great Northern Railway and Northern Pacific Railway line from Spokane to the Idaho state border at Newman Lake has existed since 1901. In 1937, the road became Secondary State Highway 2H (SSH 2H) and ran from Primary State Highway 2 in Spokane to Wellesley Avenue at the Idaho state border. SSH 2H was scheduled to be designated SR 290 in 1970 after a highway renumbering in 1964. The new designation was made to align with the sign route, now state route, system. In 1967, the eastern terminus of SSH 2H was shifted north to align with Idaho State Highway 53 (ID 53). In 1970, the state route system came into effect and SR 290 was established along with a spur route connecting the main highway to Interstate 90 (I-90). In 2005, the western terminus of SR 290 was moved southeast to an exit with I-90, replacing the spur route.
Major intersections
The entire highway is in Spokane County.
Spur route
Washington State Route 290 Spur was a 0.67-mile (1.08 km) long spur route of SR 290 prior to 2005. The spur route served as a short connector to Interstate 90 (I-90) east of downtown Spokane and ran from SR 290 at the intersection of Trent Avenue and Hamilton Street near Gonzaga University to a directional T-interchange with I-90, via a bridge over the Spokane River. The highway was originally established along with SR 290, which went east from U.S. Route 2 (US 2) and U.S. Route 395 (US 395) in downtown Spokane to Idaho. This spur route was proposed to be the southern terminus of the North/South Freeway that would bypass Downtown Spokane and a freeway segment was built, but never finished due to priority going to the Interstate Highways. The western terminus of SR 290 was realigned in 2005, ending at I-90 along the former route of SR 290 Spur.
The entire highway was in Spokane, Spokane County.