8/27/2008
Mollie McCarty
ITD Chief External Affairs Officer
208-334-8804
mollie.mccarty@itd.idaho.gov
Franklin Boulevard Bridge demolition midnight Wednesday (Aug. 27) - video footage available upon request
BOISE - Demolition of the east half of the I-84, Franklin Boulevard Interchange in Nampa will continue Wednesday night (Aug. 27), the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) announced.
Video footage of the demolition will be available to media outlets on Thursday (Aug. 28). Please contact ITD's Office of Communications at 334-8881 to request a copy of the demolition footage.
The east half of the bridge is being cut into pieces and removed as part of the bridge reconstruction project at that location. The project will reconstruct the east half of the bridge, built in 1965, to match the west half built in 1999.
Old concrete from the bridge will immediately be taken to the Boise Fire Department Airport Firefighting Training Facility and set up to simulate a collapsed building. Fire fighters will break through the concrete to rescue hypothetical victims during training.
"It's a win-win situation," said Brent Ho, fire department special operations chief. "ITD wins by simply transporting the materials to the fire department. The fire department wins by furthering its training program without having to purchase materials from a local vendor."
During the demolition, motorists should expect delays in the area, and nighttime noise will increase.
Motorists using I-84 or the Franklin Boulevard Bridge between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. can expect to be delayed for about 15 minutes each night between Aug. 25-28 and Sept. 2-4. Depending on conditions, delays could be longer.
All lanes on I-84 under the Franklin Boulevard Bridge will be closed. I-84 traffic will exit and re-enter at the Franklin Boulevard Interchange. The I-84 speed limit is 55 mph in the project area.
Concrete Placing Company of Boise is the contractor for the $3.1 million bridge reconstruction project.
The project is expected to be complete in summer of 2009 and will allow future I-84 widening between the Franklin Boulevard and Garrity Boulevard interchanges in Nampa. The widening project is anticipated to begin in late 2009 and will depend on funding.
The I-84, Franklin Boulevard Bridge project is part of 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 expedite interstate improvements.