4/9/2008
Mollie McCarty
ITD Chief External Affairs Officer
208-334-8804
mollie.mccarty@itd.idaho.gov
Requests for bids on Sand Creek Byway project to be advertised beginning April 22
COEUR D'ALENE - Requests for bids on the long-anticipated Sand Creek Byway project in Sandpoint will be advertised April 22, the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) announced. The byway is one of four segments that make up the U.S. 95 North-South project and the first to be constructed.
Public involvement has been a key factor in the development of the byway project from the beginning, according to District One Engineer Damon Allen.
"We have learned a great deal from the Sandpoint-area community, and what the community vision is for the Sand Creek corridor," Allen said. "We believe the project will be a source of community pride when it's completed."
In partnership with Washington Group International, CH2M Hill and the Sandpoint community, ITD put together a public involvement plan that ensured everyone would have a voice and opportunity to participate in the development of the project. As a result, the project will include a southbound off-ramp into Sandpoint, bike and pedestrian pathways, vegetation-covered walls to provide aesthetically pleasing views, a shoreline extension and habitat enhancement.
Bids will be opened May 20 at 2 p.m. at ITD Headquarters in Boise. Construction is expected to begin several weeks after the contract is awarded, and is planned for four construction seasons.