3/29/2005
Lane closures begin Monday (April 4) on highway construction projects near Idaho Falls
RIGBY - Construction has resumed on two major highway construction projects in the Idaho Falls area, and motorists can expect periodic traffic restrictions throughout the summer, the Idaho Transportation Department announced.
Starting Monday (April 4), traffic on Interstate 15 south of Idaho Falls will be switched to the southbound lanes in preparation for setting steel girders, as part of the I-15 Sunnyside Interchange project.. Traffic through the work zone will be two-way, two-lane throughout the summer, alternating to the northbound lanes as work progresses. A 55 mph speed limit, put in place earlier this year to accommodate construction, will be enforced through the work zone by extra Idaho State Police patrols.
Idaho Construction is scheduled to set girders on the new interchange overpass on the northbound lanes of I-15 starting Monday, April 11. The Sunnyside I-15 Interchange, Snake River Bridge and five-lane connecting road, a $21 million project, is scheduled for completion by Fall 2006.
Work has also resumed on the $19 million U.S. 20 Hitt and St. Leon interchanges north of Idaho Falls. Canal bridges were completed over the winter, and steel-reinforced concrete girders were put in place in early March. The decks will be poured and the overpass structures completed by early summer so traffic can be routed onto the new section of highway while the ramps and connecting roads are built. The project is scheduled for completion by this fall.
Motorists are advised to be aware of the work zone and the heavy equipment operating along the shoulders of U.S. 20.