Spokane Seeks Federal Grant for Evacuation Routes
The city and county are applying for $1.4 million to study emergency roads for neighborhoods hit by the 2026 Spokane Complex Fire.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Safety
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Spokane and Spokane County have applied for a U.S. Department of Transportation PROTECT grant that would total $1.4 million. The request follows the 2026 Spokane Complex Fire and focuses on the Indian Trail and Five Mile neighborhoods.
Why it matters
Indian Trail and Five Mile share a limited number of road connections, which can constrain evacuations during wildfires. The grant request targets problem areas that became clear during the fire, aiming to plan safer escape options for Spokane residents.
The application seeks up to $1.4 million from the PROTECT program to fund a risk assessment, emergency route identification, an evacuation communication plan, and design work. A decision on the award is expected by the end of 2026.
The players
Spokane County
Spokane County is the regional government that serves as joint applicant with the city on the federal evacuation planning grant.
City of Spokane
The City of Spokane is the municipal government seeking federal transportation funding to improve evacuation planning for its neighborhoods.
The details
The grant would support identifying emergency routes and a communication plan for evacuations in Spokane, with design work on selected projects. The Spokane River, steep hills, a large landfill, and spread-out development limit both neighborhoods to a few main evacuation roads.
Timeline
2026: The Spokane Complex Fire occurred, prompting the evacuation route study request.
End of 2026: A decision on the PROTECT grant is expected.
Seasonal Patterns
The PROTECT grant program, administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation, funds transportation resilience projects, and Spokane's application uses it to address wildfire evacuation limits. The request reflects how wildfire emergencies in the Pacific Northwest are prompting local governments to seek federal resilience funding for road networks.
Residents of Indian Trail and Five Mile should know their neighborhoods depend on a few main roads for evacuation. The grant would fund planning to identify emergency routes and a communication plan for evacuations, but no changes are yet approved.
The takeaway
Wildfire evacuation planning often depends on road networks that were never designed for emergencies. Spokane's grant request shows how local governments are turning fire-season lessons into formal planning studies.
What happens next
A decision on the PROTECT grant application is expected by the end of 2026.
Further reading
For more on local emergency preparedness, see Safety coverage in Spokane.
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Should your city and county spend federal money on wildfire evacuation route planning?
