Interested in joining the Community Design Collaborative?
Would you like to help improve connections, access to public space, and mobility in the East Central neighborhood? Apply to the CDC by March 23, 2026
This opportunity is open to all community members who live, work, learn, worship, run a business, or recreate in the East Central neighborhood. If you are not able to apply online, you can email the project team at erconnects@wsdot.wa.gov to submit your application over the phone.
Project overview
The Liberty Park Land Bridge - Reconnecting East Central Spokane project is a Washington State Department of Transportation initiative designed to restore non-motorized connections across Interstate 90 that were severed during highway construction in the 1950s. I-90 split the neighborhood, displaced over a thousand households, eliminated most of Liberty Park, and created long-lasting environmental, health, and economic burdens. The project focuses on the East Central neighborhood and includes Liberty Park and connections to the Ben Burr Trail and larger regional trail network.
What to expect
The purpose of this project is to address historical harms by reconnecting the neighborhood and improving access to parks, businesses, services, and transit. The project will create a non-motorized bridge over I-90 that reconnects Liberty Park, nearby neighborhoods, and key destinations in the East Central neighborhood. The project emphasizes safety, mobility, environmental resilience, and equitable community benefits. The land bridge will support walking, rolling, and recreation, while restoring community gathering spaces that was lost during the construction of I-90.
Project map for Liberty Park Land Bridge – Reconnecting East Central Spokane
The East Central neighborhood of Spokane, established in the late 1800s and early 1900s, became a diverse, working-class community of immigrant families. After World War I, declining industries and falling land values led the area to become one of Spokane’s poorest neighborhoods by the 1950s. Federal redlining policies further marginalized the East Central neighborhood and limited investment in housing and infrastructure.
Construction of I-90 cut the neighborhood in half, demolishing more than a thousand homes, displacing many African American and Southern European immigrant families, and eliminating most of the historic Liberty Park. These changes deeply disrupted community life and reinforced patterns of racial and economic inequality.
- Key project benefits
The project will provide numerous benefits, including:
Safer, more accessible walking and rolling routes across I‑90.
Reduced vehicle miles traveled through better non‑motorized connections.
Improved access to transit, resulting in fewer transfers and more direct routes.
Re-established green space and parkland to replace what was lost during I‑90 construction.
Reduced noise and air pollution exposure for nearby residents.
Enhanced community identity and cultural expression through public spaces.
Strengthened economic opportunities in the East Central neighborhood
- Community engagement
WSDOT leads the Liberty Park Land Bridge project in collaboration with the City of Spokane. The project team includes planners, engineers, community engagement professionals, environmental justice practitioners, and communications specialists. The Community Design Collaborative (CDC) and Interagency Coordination Team (ICT) serve as advisory bodies, helping guide decision‑making throughout the project. The CDC brings local lived‑experience perspectives, while the ICT coordinates across WSDOT, the City of Spokane, Spokane Transit Authority, and other agency partners.
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- Get involved!
WSDOT will collaborate with the community, the City of Spokane, and local partners throughout the duration of the project to ensure that design decisions reflect community priorities and lived experience.
Community participation is essential to the success of this project. Members of the public can get involved by:
Attending public meetings, workshops, and events in the community.
Participating in surveys or interactive online engagement.
Joining the project GovDelivery email list: sign up here
Contact the project team: email the Project Manager Shauna Harshman at erconnects@wsdot.wa.gov
Serve on the Community Design Collaborative to help shape the project: Apply here by March 23, 2026.
