A quip on a social media post said it all: “Harrington has never been so busy.” That tongue-in-cheek post was in reference to the diversion of Interstate 90 traffic between Spokane and Sprague through Airway Heights, Reardan, Davenport and Harrington as the Gray Fire encroached on the highway over the weekend.
The fire broke out Friday near Eastern State Hospital and Medical Lake. As it grew toward Four Lakes and Cheney, someone decided it was a idea to detour traffic at different times through those communities, as well as through Edwall and Cheney until Monday afternoon.
Apparently, they had never driven the route through Edwall. If they had, they would’ve known how rough portions of the pavement are, especially near railroad crossings.
But maybe they haven’t driven many of the other roads either, as each time a new detour was pushed out, more problems followed. The changing detours caused vehicle-backups on state Highways 904, 231, 28 and 23, and U.S. Highway 2. Had the fire actually reached the city of Cheney, the backup would’ve restricted evacuations.
The biggest emergency was the fire bearing down on Medical Lake, and decision-makers rightly put evacuations there at the forefront. But putting evacuation traffic as well as Interstate 90 traffic on small, rural highways created a large secondary problem.
While interstate traffic poured into Cheney, some residents panicked thinking they had to “get out now.” Only, they couldn’t go anywhere.
As it turned out, Cheney residents didn’t need to evacuate. But those who did leave struggled to get home with Highway 904 and area rural routes backed up.
Compounding the problem were the GPS motorists. You know, the yahoos whp believe their telephone GPS can navigate them through our back roads – many of which are dirt or gravel between Sprague and Cheney. As they tried to rejoin traffic, vehicles backed up into neighborhoods far from the fire.
Several businesses closed down with employees and customers unable to access their parking lots.
And it wasn’t just Cheney. In Lincoln County, southbound Highway 231 was closed after a detoured-vehicle crash made that route impassible. So, motorists were diverted again to Davenport and then Harrington. Of course, there are limited options for food and fuel – and no rest areas – on that route.
The traffic was more than Lincoln County’s small communities were ready to handle. As a result, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office deputies, who typically conduct 5-15 traffic stops in a weekend, initiated 114 stops.
You would think with area leaders pushing so hard for a new north-south Spokane corridor, they would’ve had an emergency traffic management plan for the West Plains that works.
They obviously didn’t.
Let’s hope they come up with one that works for the West Plains before it’s needed again.
–– Roger Harnack is the owner/publisher of Free Press Publishing. Email him at [email protected].
Roger Harnack is the owner/publisher of Free Press Publishing. Having grown up Benton City, Roger is an award-winning journalist, columnist, photographer, editor and publisher. He's one of only two editorial/commentary writers from Washington state to ever receive the international Golden Quill. Roger is dedicated to the preservation of local media, and the voice it retains for Eastern Washington.
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