Spokane seeks road-planning grant for wildfire evacuations

Indian Trail and Five Mile could receive new emergency transportation planning after Spokane and Spokane County jointly requested a federal wildfire-resilience grant. Local officials say recent fires showed the danger of depending on a small set of main roads when many residents may need to leave at once.

The application seeks $1.4 million through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s PROTECT program. If approved, the money would pay for an examination of transportation weak points and help map routes for use during emergencies. It would also support a communication strategy for evacuations and early design work on selected improvements.

The Spokane Complex Fire prompted the focus on these two neighborhoods. Officials said that experience highlighted both constrained road access and the importance of getting useful information to evacuees quickly. The city and county would work together on the analysis and possible solutions. The planning could also examine other parts of the community with similar transportation concerns during a disaster.