4/17/2008
ITD plans 28 highway construction projects in eastern Idaho
RIGBY - The Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) plans 28 highway construction projects in eastern Idaho this season. The projects will be in Bonneville, Butte, Clark, Custer, Fremont, Jefferson, Lemhi, Madison and Teton counties.
Specific construction schedules will be announced later. Most projects will be completed this year.
Bonneville
Broadway Street: Crews will replace railroad planks at the Eastern Idaho Railroad crossing on Broadway Street in Idaho Falls.
Sunnyside Road: Crews will seal coat Sunnyside Road from Yellowstone Highway to Holmes Avenue in Idaho Falls. Crews reconstructed and expanded this 1.6-mile section of road from two to five lanes last year, facilitating east-west travel in town.
Seal coating entails spraying liquid asphalt on the highway and spreading a layer of crushed rock over it. The purpose is to protect pavement from weathering and to provide a semi-rough surface for improved vehicle traction.
After seal coating, crews paint yellow centerlines, white edge stripes and apply other pavement markings.
Yellowstone Highway: Crews will reseal expansion joints at the intersections of Yellowstone and Broadway and Yellowstone and Anderson in Idaho Falls.
Interstate 15: Crews will seal coat seven miles of I-15 from the Bingham-Bonneville county line to the U.S. 20 interchange, exit 119, in Idaho Falls.
U.S. 20. Crews will replace the southbound deck of the Idaho Canal Bridge on U.S. 20 north of the Lewisville Interchange, exit 310.
U.S. 26. Crews will repave 12 miles of U.S. 26 from Clark Hill to the Swan Valley Bridge, milepost 361 to 373.
Between Clark Hill and Granite Hill, crews will use a new construction process called Stress Absorbing Layer of Straight Asphalt (SALSA), which comprises shooting a layer of straight asphalt on the pavement and then applying a thin coat of chips. The SALSA process also includes an overlay of plant mix, which is a blend of asphalt and crushed rocks.
Crews also will seal coat 10 miles of U.S. 26 from Ririe to Clark Hill. Crews repaved this stretch of highway last year using the SALSA process.
Bike Path. Crews will construct a bike/pedestrian path along one-third of a mile on the east side of the Snake River south of Pancheri Drive in Idaho Falls.
Butte
Idaho 33. Crews will seal coat 16 miles of Idaho 33 from the junction of U.S. 20-26 to Howe.
U.S. 20. Crews will repave and seal coat 11 miles of U.S. 20 from the junction of U.S. 20-26 to the Bonneville County Line.
Crews will use a type of construction known as cement recycled asphalt base stabilization (CRABS), which involves pulverizing the road surface and then adding cement to the old asphalt. The mixture is then compacted on the roadbed and used as the base for a layer of new asphalt plant mix.
Butte-Custer
U.S. 93. Crews will seal coat 19 miles of U.S. 93 between Moore and Mackay. Crews repaved this stretch of highway last year.
Clark
Idaho 22. Crews will repave and seal coat 6.5 miles of Idaho 22 west of Dubois, from milepost 53 to 60, and widen 6.5 miles of this route, from milepost 47 to 54, extending each shoulder by two feet.
Clark-Jefferson
Interstate 15. Crews will repave, seal coat and install rumble strips (raised or grooved patterns placed primarily along paved shoulders as a safety feature) along 24 miles of southbound lanes on I-15 from Sage Junction to Dubois and 13 miles of northbound lanes from Dubois to Spencer. This is a major project.
Custer
Idaho 75. Crews will finish building the Salmon River Bridge on Idaho 75 west of Clayton and will remove the old bridge.
U.S. 93. Crews will repave and seal coat nine miles of U.S. 93 from Lone Cedar Creek Road to Doublespring Pass Road, mileposts 122 to 131, north of Mackay.
Crews also will replace the Watts Bridge approximately 10 miles north of Challis. They will start the major project this summer and finish next summer.
Fremont
U.S. 20. Crews will seal coat 12 miles of U.S. 20 from Island Park Lodge to the Montana state line.
Mesa Falls Scenic Byway. Crews will seal coat the 16-mile Mesa Falls Scenic Byway from Idaho 47 to the junction of U.S. 20.
Parker-Salem Highway. Crews will seal coat approaches to the new Salem Bridge, completed in January.
Fremont-Teton
Railtrail. Crews will replace four minor bridges, install planking and handrail on three major bridges and pave 200 feet on each side of the bridges along a 29 mile bike/pedestrian trail between Ashton and Tetonia, which was formerly the railway line between the two towns.
Jefferson
U.S. 20. Crews will resurface the deck of the Snake River Dry Bed Canal Bridge on U.S. 20 north of Rigby.
Jefferson-Bonneville
Idaho 48. Crews will seal coat 9.5 miles of Idaho 48 from Rigby to Ririe and two miles of the U.S. 26 business loop west of Ririe.
Jefferson-Madison
U.S. 20. Crews will resurface and install rumble strips along 7.5 miles of U.S. 20 from the South Rigby exit 320 to the turnoff to Bear World (milepost 327) for this major project.
Lemhi
Pedestrian Bridge. Crews will build a bicycle/pedestrian bridge over the east channel of the Salmon River south of the existing U.S. 93 bridge in Salmon.
Madison
Bike Path. Crews will complete a bike/pedestrian path between Sugar City and Rexburg along Idaho 33.
University Boulevard. Crews will seal coat a new 1.7-mile extension of University Boulevard, running 1.7 miles east and north through farmland from the intersection of Yellowstone Highway and University Boulevard to the intersection of 2nd West and 7th South in Rexburg. Crews completed the new street last year, which links Brigham Young University-Idaho and the new Rexburg, Idaho, LDS Temple with U.S. 20.
Teton
Idaho 33. Crews will seal coat 24 miles of Idaho 33 from the junction of Idaho 32 northwest of Tetonia to the Wyoming line.
Crews also will construct turn lanes on Idaho 33 to Fox Creek Road and Pack Saddle Road in Teton Valley.
Budget Shortfall
Soaring construction costs the past few years coupled with modest increases in funding during that time have reduced the number of projects ITD can complete. ITD estimates it falls behind by more than $200 million per year in money needed to maintain the state highway system. The department is pleased this year to have funds for its eastern Idaho office (District 6) to complete 28 projects.
Headquartered in Rigby, District 6 comprises nine counties: Bonneville, Butte, Clark, Custer, Fremont, Jefferson, Lemhi, Madison and Teton.
Caution Advised
ITD urges motorists to drive with care near construction zones. "Orange highway signs with black letters or symbols and orange flags indicate construction activity, even if it cannot be immediately observed," said District 6 Engineer Tom Cole.
Drivers should anticipate unusual driving conditions, such as merging traffic, construction vehicles, flaggers, pilot cars and uneven surfaces.
The Idaho State Police reminds motorists that driving violations in work zones will be fined at double the rate of driving violations elsewhere.
Road Conditions
For information on road construction along Idaho highways, access the Idaho Traveler Services Web site at 511.idaho.gov or dial 5-1-1 from phones within Idaho. Outside Idaho dial toll-free (888) 432-7623. Reports are updated as road conditions change on Idaho highways.