District 2 thanks city, drivers for patience during recent Moscow paving
ITD's District 2 leaders thanked the city of Moscow and residents for their patience during the recent Latah County paving job, managed by D2's Kerby Kirkham (pictured below, left). They also explained the reasoning behind the work, and addressed timing. This approach might provide a template for future project communications. The letter ran in the Moscow-Pullman Daily News Sept. 20 and the Lewiston Tribune Sept. 24. It's an example of our organization being proactive and telling the "why" story to the public.
Paving on Moscow streets ends – ITD thanks drivers, city for patience
US-95 and Idaho Highway 8 are the primary routes in and through the Moscow area in north-central Idaho, so roadwork has the potential to disrupt traffic and slow commerce and travel. It is not done without significant forethought. So when the Idaho Transportation Department needed to mill and pave deteriorating roads, all efforts were made to expedite the job while ensuring quality. The completion of the project next Tuesday, several days earlier than planned, is cause for celebration.
The winter of 2016-17 was cruel to area roads, including some routes on the State Highway System. In Moscow, ice and snow rapidly increased the surface deterioration of ID-8 and US-95. ITD had planned to resurface these roadways in the summer of 2018, but the rough winter meant those repairs needed to be done earlier. The Idaho Transportation Board made savings available from previous projects statewide, and the ITD district office was able to mobilize resources and rapidly move the project forward.
Starting the work this summer was a concern since it would require construction into the beginning of the school year, but it was deemed a wiser choice than letting the potholed roadways go through another winter. Moscow and ITD got the project out for advertisement as soon as possible and added additional funding to improve bicycle and pedestrian facilities along these routes. Work was done on 30 ramps through town to bring public sidewalk ramps into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
The University of Idaho also assisted in making the project a success by hosting weekly public meetings, providing advice on reducing traffic congestion and delays during construction, and furthering highway construction research on a test section near Stadium Drive.
To properly resurface more than 15 lane miles of roadway (24,000 tons of asphalt) in a short time period, temporary traffic delays were required and congestion resulted. We are sorry for the inconvenience, and hope the beautiful results outweigh the momentary pain felt by the travelling public.
A concerted effort by ITD, Poe Asphalt Paving, the city of Moscow, the University of Idaho, Moscow Police Department, and others, improved traffic flow and safety during all phases of construction. The updated roadway and facilities will serve the community well for years to come.
Dave Kuisti
ITD District Engineer
Lewiston
Published 09-22-17