7/7/2008
Reed Hollinshead
ITD Communication
208-334-8881
reed.hollinshead@itd.idaho.gov
REMINDER: Community invited to dedicate new Franklin Road Interchange in Caldwell tomorrow
BOISE - Caldwell residents and community members are invited to dedicate the new I-84 Franklin Road Interchange on Tuesday (July 8) at 11 a.m. at the Sage Travel Plaza near Exit 29. The plaza is west of the exit on Franklin Road.
Idaho Transportation Board Chairman Darrell V Manning, Caldwell Mayor Garret Nancolas and Idaho Senate Transportation Committee Chairman John McGee are among the speakers for the event.
Dignitaries will pour the last piece of sidewalk concrete on the reconstructed roadway to commemorate the project completion. Over 16,209 cubic yards of concrete went into the new interchange. The interchange took approximately a year and a half to construct.
The old two-lane overpass, built in 1966, was replaced with a four-lane roadway that has dual left turn lanes. The new interchange ramps are longer and wider to accommodate more traffic at the busy intersection.
Franklin Road also was widened from two to five lanes on both sides of the new overpass. The improved road has curb, gutter, sidewalk, bicycle lanes and shoulder.
"Safety and public convenience were big priorities for us during construction," said Idaho Transportation Department project coordinator Kelley Lower. "We required the contractor to keep all four interchange ramps open throughout the project. With 17,700 vehicles coming through here every day, that helped us keep traffic moving."
The new interchange is designed to accommodate nearly 30,000 vehicles per day.
The project included several safety updates, including new traffic signals at the Aviation Way/Franklin Road intersection, a 249-foot median barrier on Franklin Road, and new truck approaches near the Flying J and Sage Travel Plaza.
Parking for the dedication ceremony will be available at the Sage Travel Plaza.
Concrete Placing Co. of Boise was the contractor for the $24.8 million reconstruction project.
Directions to the dedication ceremony: From I-84 take the Franklin exit (29) and travel west on Franklin Road. Turn right into Sage Travel Plaza and watch for signs.