BOISE - The project to improve the U.S. 95 bridge over the
Payette River south of Payette has been pushed back and is now likely to start
in late June. Once construction has started, it is expected to take about two
years to complete.
The Idaho Transportation Department advises that recent rain
and flooding of the Payette River is delaying the start of work on the bridge. Road
resurfacing work near Payette, which is now under way in a separate project, is
also finishing later than anticipated. This resurfacing work must be completed
before work on the Payette River Bridge can begin.
The Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) will replace the existing northbound
truss bridge (built in 1927) located on U.S. 95 between Fruitland and Payette.
The new bridge will be two feet higher off the water. It will have no overhead
bracing or struts as the current one does and will be 84 feet in width,
eliminating current safety concerns regarding both width and height
restrictions.
The
new bridge will be constructed next 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 northern and southern Idaho. About 18,000
vehicles use this portion of the highway daily. By 2026, the volume is expected
to be more than 25,000.
Traffic will utilize the southbound bridge while the new bridge is constructed.
Traffic will then be switched to the new bridge while modifications to the
southbound bridge are made and it is connected to the new bridge.
JC Constructors Inc. of Meridian is the contractor for this $6.17 million project.