POST FALLS — The Greensferry overpass has not been easy street for the Richards family.

As construction gets in full swing on the structure over Interstate 90, the Richards’ 1940s-era home that sits in a future approach for the overpass is still lived in by Mary Richards, the family’s 93-year-old mother with dementia, and her 75-year-old caregiver daughter.

Charles Richards, Mary’s son, said he believes his mother’s health will go downhill when she is forced to move.

“Put yourself in our place,” Richards said. “We can’t even get her out the door to go to the doctor. We’ll probably have to sedate her to get her to move. It’s a matter of disrupting this woman’s whole life. She is very familiar with everything here.

“Money is not the issue for us. We’re very worried about her health during this move. The No. 1 issue is her well being.”

Mary Richards has lived in the home on Greensferry south of the freeway since 1972. Her late husband Jack operated Jack’s Volkswagon Repair on the property before Interstate 90 was built and there were just fields in the vicinity.

“Mom has been a part of this community for many years,” Richards said.

In recent years, Mary Richards allowed for a community garden on her property in which at-risk high school students learn life skills. The produce raised at the garden benefitted local residents in need. It was Richards’ way of giving back for receiving meals on wheels.

Charles Richards said the family was originally told that the home, which was a medical building at the Farragut Naval Station near Athol, could be moved on the property to make way for the approach to the overpass. However, the family said it was told this summer that the plan had changed and it needed to find a new home.

“We originally thought that they’d only need several feet of the property and that we could move the house over,” he said. “But they learned that it would cost more to replace the businesses across the street. Now our homestead is going to be gone. It’s cheaper and easier to displace us than the businesses, and that’s what they’re doing.”

Richards said he’s troubled about the Post Falls Urban Renewal Agency’s sense of urgency to get an agreement on fair market value for the property finalized to get the project built after just a few months of notifying a family that has a delicate situation.

“It was a simple situation that’s been made complex,” Richards said. “They’ve been wanting to do this project for years and there’s been a lot of delays. Now all of a sudden it’s urgent. That sense of urgency puts us in turmoil now to displace my mother and sister.

“We may not like it, but we’ve accepted the fact that we have to move. The government’s priority to displace someone just so people can save 5 minutes to get to Walmart is totally out of whack.”

Richards said he wishes the project could be put on hold until his mother passes.

“Their timeframe does not mesh with ours — obviously,” he said. “Our timeframe is to help our mother get through the rest of her life with as little disruption as possible, but apparently that isn’t going to happen. Us five siblings may not agree on everything, but we have one common thread — we want mom to be safe and comfortable for the rest of her life.”

Richards said his family has retained an attorney to determine whether the $308,000 offered for the 1.1-acre lot and 1,100-square-foot home is fair. He said a decision will likely be made in the next month.

“We’re not trying to upset anyone, but we’re also not going to go quietly into the night,” he said.

Tom Lien, URA executive director, declined to comment on the real estate negotiations. The URA also needs to purchase the River City Dentistry property next to the Richards home for the overpass approach. No businesses on the north side of the freeway will be required to move.

URA officials said they are following the laws for fair market value on eminent domain. They said that work can start in the median, on the north side of the freeway and some areas of the south side, but there may become a point where a delay may become costly if real estate matters aren’t settled soon on the south portion.

Aside from the right of way hurdles, the $15 million, URA-funded project intended to relieve traffic congestion, improve mobility and emergency response and create economic development has been supported by most residents and businesses. It has been discussed for 20 years.

The overpass is scheduled to be finished next fall. When completed, the structure will feature two lanes in each direction, bicycle lanes and sidewalks on both sides.

A full interchange at Greensferry between the Highway 41 interchange and the Seltice Way overpass was earlier discussed, but not allowed by the Federal Highway Administration.