‘This is going to change the skyline’: Construction on downtown Spokane stadium underway

January 26, 2022 7:12 PM

Rania Kaur,

Posted: January 26, 2022 7:12 PM

Updated: January 26, 2022 10:19 PM

by Rania Kaur

SPOKANE, Wash.– The sound of progress can be heard filling the air in downtown Spokane. If you’re wondering what that’s like, it’s thick basalt rocks being cracked apart and pulled from the ground.

It’s also what you’ll hear if you check out the construction site for the new Spokane stadium.

Crews started work on the $31 million project last week.

https://twitter.com/RaniaKaur/status/1486500099962245121

For construction manager and Spokane native Jake Walker, this is a special project.

“I’m a local product of it myself, North Central graduate, so something like this is a really big deal for me to be a part of,” Walker said.

The building starts at field level and then goes up three stories. That means there will be a lot of construction that goes with it.

“This is going to change the skyline, Spokane is changing dramatically every day so this is going to be a staple of that,” Walker said.

An entire year will be spent just digging through 14 feet of basalt rock. Two excavators are being used to break it up and a payloader then scoops it up and dumps it into a sifter.

Winter is a great time for this type of dirty work because it keeps the dust down. There is also less activity around the construction site, making it safer.