1/10/2008
Mollie McCarty
ITD Chief External Affairs Officer
208-334-8804
mollie.mccarty@itd.idaho.gov
Median work to begin near Meridian Interchange Monday (Jan. 14) for I-84 Garrity to Meridian project
BOISE - Initial work on the I-84 Garrity to Meridian widening project will begin just west of the Meridian Interchange Monday (Jan. 14), the Idaho Transportation Department announced.
Work will begin by extending a drainage structure that runs underneath I-84 and allows Ten Mile Creek to flow beneath the interstate just west of the Meridian Interchange. Ten Mile Creek is an irrigation drain that belongs to the Nampa-Meridian Irrigation District. The drainage structure must be extended through the median before additional lanes can be built on I-84 between the Garrity and Meridian interchanges.
The inside shoulders on east- and westbound I-84 will be closed and the speed limit will be reduced to 55 mph from milepost 42 to 46. These traffic changes will continue through April 2008.
ITD will have nighttime lane reductions in both directions between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. from Jan. 16 to 24. The lane closures will allow ITD to remove old guardrail and place temporary guardrail in the project area. At least one lane will be maintained in each direction during nighttime lane reductions and all lanes of traffic will remain open during the daytime.
ITD advises motorists to be aware of heavy equipment moving on and off the interstate while crews are working in the median.
Milling work to remove the ruts and bumps on I-84 between the Garrity and Meridian interchanges is expected to begin in late January or early February depending on weather. Milling will prepare the road for construction-related traffic changes. The start date for milling will depend on weather.
The I-84 Garrity to Meridian project will widen and reconstruct 6.2 miles of interstate between the Garrity Boulevard and Meridian Road interchanges. It begins a series of interstate improvements planned for I-84 between Caldwell and Meridian through the GARVEE Transportation Program. The program uses Grant Anticipation Revenue Vehicle (GARVEE) bonds to design and construct needed improvements in less time than through traditional funding methods.
McAlvain Construction, Inc. of Boise is the contractor for the $380,000 Ten Mile Creek work. Central Paving Co. of Boise is the contractor for the $1.1 million milling work.