10/24/2008
Reed Hollinshead
ITD Communication
208-334-8881
reed.hollinshead@itd.idaho.gov
Governor Otter to be keynote speaker at groundbreaking ceremony for Sand Creek Byway project on Thursday (Oct. 30)
COEUR D'ALENE - The public is invited to join Governor C.L. "Butch" Otter, elected officials and community leaders on Thursday (Oct. 30) at 2 p.m. on the site of the former Lakeside Inn in Sandpoint, to celebrate the beginning of construction on the Sand Creek Byway project, the Idaho Transportation Department announced.
The Lakeside Inn is located at 106 Bridge Street. Parking will be available in the City Beach parking lot located at the end of Bridge Street.
Joining Gov. Otter will be Lt. Gov. Jim Risch, U.S. Sens. Larry Craig and Mike Crapo, U.S. Rep. Bill Sali, Idaho Transportation Board Chairman Darrell V Manning, and Idaho Transportation Department Director Pamela Lowe.
David Keyes, community leader and publisher of the Bonner County Daily Bee, will act as emcee.
The public also is invited to attend a reception sponsored by the Ponderay Community Development Corporation (PCDC), at the Elks Lodge in Ponderay immediately following the ceremony.
An alternate route on U.S. 95 away from downtown Sandpoint has been a topic of keen local interest since the 1940s. The final environmental work on the project was completed and approved by the Federal Highway Administration in May 2000. Construction is set to begin in early November.
The Sand Creek Byway is 2.1 miles of new alignment connecting U.S. 95, from the northern end of the Long Briudge, directly to Idaho 200 and U.S. 95 north of Sandpoint. The project includes six bridges, 24 retaining walls and a pedestrian/bike pathway.
The contractor for this $98 million project is Parsons RCI of Sumner, Washington.
MEDIA ADVISORY: Gov. Otter and other dignitaries will be available for individual interviews following the groundbreaking ceremony. Please contact Barbara Babic, at 208-772-1288, to set up an interview time.