BOISE - The project to
improve the U.S. 95 bridge over the Payette River south of Payette is one step closer to construction with the announcement Tuesday afternoon of a Meridian company as Apparent Low Bidder.
JC Constructors Inc. bid $6.17 million for the project, the lowest of the 10 bids received.
The existing northbound truss bridge (built in 1927) located on U.S. 95 between Fruitland and Payette will be demolished and replaced with a new structure. The new bridge will be two-feet higher off the water, will allow unlimited vertical clearance and be 84 feet in width, eliminating current safety concerns regarding width and height restrictions. The new bridge will be constructed adjacent to, and will attach to, the existing southbound bridge. The project also includes minor roadway realignment to tie into the new bridge location.
U.S. 95 is the main route connecting north and south Idaho. About 18,000
vehicles use this portion of the highway daily. By 2026, the volume is
expected to be more than 25,000.
Construction is scheduled to start this spring or summer, and will take about
two years to complete.