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Blasting in median prepares way for I-84 resurfacing

Improving safety does not always mean widening a roadway, adjusting the speed limit or installing a traffic signal.

Along a critical highway corridor on Interstate 84 east of Boise, ITD crews will take other measures to safeguard drivers.

The five-mile stretch of I-84 between the East Boise Port of Entry and the Mayfield Exit/Stage Stop (Exit 71) is home to many basalt rock outcroppings in the median. Those rock beds contribute significantly to run-off-the-road crashes and related injuries.

Ninety-five crashes occurred on that stretch of highway in the past five years, involving 245 people.

Work to remove the hazards began last week when contract crews began using explosives to loosen rock. When the highway is reconstructed, the displaced rock will be used to fill areas next to the eastbound median. Recycling the rock will lead to creation of 30-foot-wide ‘clear zones’ to protect eastbound motorists who inadvertently run off the road.

Crews started traffic control on July 24 for the blasting operation. Several days of drilling were required to prepare about 80 holes for explosives. An Erosion and Sediment Control Plan and blasting plan were required to ensure adherence to safety guidelines.

Western Construction, of Boise, is the contractor for the $460,000 project.

At the same time as the blasting, a contractor will begin resurfacing I-84 lanes in the area.

Resurfacing began Monday (July 29) and is expected to continue through Labor Day on the 10-mile I-84 segment from Eisenman Road to Indian Creek at Exit 70.

The project will start on the eastbound side of the interstate, with work following on the westbound side of the freeway in early September. The eastbound side will be closed between mileposts 60 and 70 until after Labor Day, when traffic will be shifted to the westbound side.

One lane of traffic will be maintained at all times on I-84 for both directions of travel.

No detour route is necessary on the eastbound side of the interstate as existing crossovers will be used, but a detour will be announced when work commences on the westbound side. The eastbound on-ramp to I-84 was closed Wednesday (July 31), and traffic is detoured along Federal Way in Boise and back to Gowen Road to return to I-84.

Eastbound I-84 will be closed as crews mill, inlay and overlay the freeway and ramps, and upgrade weigh-in-motion equipment for the East Boise Port of Entry.

Central Paving, of Boise, is the contractor for the $8.8 million project.

Crews will keep one lane of I-84 closed at all times, with a "rolling" closure as blasting work follows highway construction.

The entire project is expected to finish by mid-November.