"Creating
and maintaining safe, efficient corridors of commerce for the people we serve
is a proper and necessary role of government," Governor Otter said. "When
fulfilling that role also enables businesses to expand or relocate to Idaho,
creating careers that can sustain families and communities, then what were
doing here is investing in Idaho's future."
Joining the Governor at the lane
opening ceremony will be Idaho Senate Transportation Committee Chairman John McGee, Senator Curt McKenzie, Senator
Patti Anne Lodge, Nampa Mayor Tom Dale and Meridian Mayor Tammy de Weerd.
This stretch of I-84 was one of the
most congested highways in the valley, creating accidents and travel delays.
More than 74,000 vehicles travel between the Garrity and the Meridian
interchanges. Of those vehicles, 6,700 are trucks.
"The completion of a third lane on
I-84 between the Garrity and Meridian interchanges is a welcome relief to the
trucking industry," Kathy Flowers, president of the Idaho Trucking Association,
said. "It will help immensely with
on-time deliveries throughout the valley and enable the long-haul drivers to
travel through the Treasure Valley without incident."
The improvement to I-84 will also
facilitate the growth of the College of Western Idaho and the safety of its
faculty and students according to College of Western Idaho President Dr. Bert
Glandon.
"The college has almost 3,000
students attending classes, plus faculty and staff, at its Nampa campus on
Idaho Center Boulevard," Glandon said. "The ability to move students and
employees to and from the College of Western Idaho is critical to providing
accessibility to education for our residents. The improvements to Interstate 84
are central to achieving that accessibility."
One mile of the third lane will
remain closed under the Ten Mile Overpass until next spring to allow for
construction of a new interchange at that location. The I-84 Garrity to Meridian widening
project is one of 13 projects to modernize I-84 from Nampa to east Boise that
began in 2006 and is expected to end in 2011.
The ceremony will be at the northeast
corner of Robinson Road and I-84 in Nampa in a vacant field. To reach the ceremony from I-84,
exit at the Garrity Interchange (Exit 38), travel north on Idaho Center
Boulevard, east on Franklin Road and south on Robinson Boulevard. The ceremony
location will be clearly marked by signs.
Idaho Sand & Gravel and Knife
River were the contractors. The contract finished on-time and on-budget.
MEDIA NOTE (not for dissemination):
B roll video available on Oct. 29: Video clips of the project area
will be available after 1 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 29, for use on the Oct. 30
morning news shows. Download from the following FTP site: ftp://ftp1.idaho.gov.
Log on with the user name itdcommu and use the password W39gy7D2. For those who
do not have FTP software, the video and photos can be retrieved from
http://itd.idaho.gov/news
Video/photos:Video clips and photos of the ceremony will be available on
Oct. 30 after 4:45 p.m. for downloading from the Idaho Transportation Departments
FTP site: ftp://ftp1.idaho.gov. Log on with the user name itdcommu and use the
password W39gy7D2. For those who do not have FTP software, the video and photos
can be retrieved from http://itd.idaho.gov/news
Radio: Audio clips from the Oct. 30
ceremony will be e-mailed directly to radio stations following the ceremony.