5/29/2009
Reed Hollinshead
ITD Communication
208-334-8881
reed.hollinshead@itd.idaho.gov
Southwest Idaho weekly highway construction report for May 29-June 5
BOISE - Following is an update on interstate and state highway construction projects in southwest Idaho.
ADA COUNTY
GARDEN CITY/BOISE - Idaho 44, State and Glenwood Pavement Rehabilitation
Motorists will have no access to Wal-Mart via State Street this weekend as work continues on the State and Glenwood project. However, shoppers may still access Wal-Mart via Strawberry Glen, off of Glenwood, while the other approach is closed. Crews are working in the eastbound lanes of State Street between Wal-Mart and the State/Glenwood intersection starting at 7 p.m. tonight and continuing throughout the weekend. The road will return to two lanes in each direction by Monday morning's rush hour, starting at 5:30 a.m.
Next week (June 1-4), crews will work on pulverizing and repaving the middle lanes of State Street from behind Wal-Mart west to the State/Old Horseshoe Bend Road intersection. During the day (excluding the morning and evening commute hours), there will be one lane of traffic maintained in each direction.
This is part of the larger pavement rehabilitation project to repair and resurface from State Street at Idaho 55 to Glenwood Street, and Glenwood from State to Chinden Boulevard (U.S. 20/26). The roadway is deteriorated, cracked and rutted, and this project will significantly extend the life of the roadway and result in a smoother ride.
Approximately 43,000 vehicles per day travel the sections of State and Glenwood resurfaced in this project. That number is expected to increase to 62,500 by 2030.
To minimize impacts during peak traffic hours in this project, crews will work an extremely aggressive schedule, which will include overnight and weekend shifts. This get-in, get-out approach is intended to shorten the length of construction and reduce the inconvenience to nearby residents, businesses and the traveling public.
During peak commuter hours (5:30 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. - 7 p.m. weekdays), two lanes will remain open in each direction. At all other times during construction, at least one lane in each direction will remain open.
During construction, access will remain open to businesses and residents in the construction area.
The project entails also a number of significant safety improvements, including traffic-separating measures such as raised medians and half pork chop-shaped islands, as well as more than 60 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant intersection improvements on public streets.
This work is necessary to restore the pavement surface in this section of highway, which has not been improved in more than 20 years. It is necessary to do this work during the warmer months because the asphalt requires a minimum temperature to set up properly.
Central Paving Co. Inc. Boise is the contractor on this $4.4 million project.
The project is expected to finish in early July.
BOISE COUNTY
IDAHO CITY - pedestrian pathway
Recreational users will benefit from a multi-use pathway under way in Idaho City. The Idaho Transportation Department-administered project is expected to be finished by the end of May.
The pathway will be built south of and parallel to Idaho 21, beginning at the ITD maintenance yard a few hundred feet east of Main Street in Idaho City and extending east to Boise Basin Community Park. The trail - 2,850 feet long and 10 feet wide - will accommodate equestrian, bicycling, walking and other non-motorized recreational activities.
All construction activities will take place off the highway, so no traffic impacts are anticipated.
The Federal Transportation Enhancement project is based on a 2004 TE application.
Granite Excavation Inc. of Nampa is the contractor on this $95,000 project. Idaho City is also participating financially in this project.
CANYON COUNTY
CALDWELL - Franklin and 21st road and bridge project
A project is under way to reconstruct a one-quarter mile section of 21st Avenue in Caldwell and build a new bridge over the Notus Canal by early July.
The 21st Avenue intersection with Franklin Road is about one-quarter mile west of the newly reconstructed Franklin Road Interchange (Exit 29) in Caldwell.
The current three-lane 21st Avenue is being reconstructed into a five-lane urban roadway. The work includes excavation, base, pavement, siphon culvert structure, storm-sewer drainage, and installation of curb, gutter, sidewalk and ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act)-compliant pedestrian ramps.
The canal structure has been built, 21st Avenue has been reopened, and the south leg of Franklin is detoured to 21st. Paving on 21st is expected to finish in early June, with Franklin due to open in late June/early July.
Central Paving Co. Inc. of Boise is the contractor on this $2.6 million project.
CALDWELL - Logan & 10th intersection improvement project
A project to improve the intersection of Logan Street and 10th Avenue in Caldwell is now under way. The project will widen the roadway and includes installation of a traffic signal.
Motorists will be controlled by flaggers at the intersection. Flaggers will let one direction of traffic through at a time.
This project will reconstruct the intersection, adding turn lanes and replacing the traffic signal, controllers and traffic-control cabinet.
The base for the new traffic signal has been installed and pipes placed across the roadway. Crews will next pour the sidewalk, curb and gutter and pave the intersection.
WF Construction & Sales of Meridian is the contractor on this $284,000 project.
Work is expected to be completed by mid-August.
CALDWELL - Indian Creek Bridge replacement
Two deteriorated bridges (21st and 11th Avenue structures) that span Indian Creek will be replaced beginning Monday (June 1) to improve their structural integrity and extend the life of the roadway.
The 21st Avenue Bridge near Chicago Street serves a well-traveled route between I-84 and The College of Idaho. To help with increasing traffic demands, the new bridge will have two additional lanes resulting in a four-lane bridge, two lanes in each direction.
Two lanes of traffic will be maintained during construction and business access will remain open during the 21st Avenue Bridge construction. Temporary signs will help direct customers.
Removal of the existing bridge and construction of the new concrete bridge will be completed in two phases. During the first phase, the east portion of the bridge will be removed and reconstructed, and traffic will be routed onto the existing bridge. During the second phase, traffic will shift to the completed portion of the new bridge while the other half is reconstructed.
The 11th Avenue structure at Indian Creek is beneath the intersection of 11th and Arthur Street. Because of the structure's alignment with the intersection and the creek, the intersection must be closed during installation of the new steel structure. Through-traffic will be detoured around the work zone.
Access to homes and businesses will remain open during construction. Temporary signs will help direct customers to local businesses.
To minimize noise impacts to nearby residents, crews will limit work hours to daytime only, between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Additional measures, such as equipment mufflers, intake silencers or engine enclosures will be used to reduce noise from construction equipment.
Construction is expected to be complete in November 2009.
Braun-Jensen of Payette is the contractor on this $2.3 million project. This is a Local Highway Technical Assistance Council project, and the local sponsor is the city of Caldwell.
NAMPA - U.P.R.R. 16th Avenue Bridge repair
A project to repair the Union Pacific Railroad 16th Avenue Bridge in Nampa is under way.
The contractor has completed the concrete overlay in the northbound lane. All of the work on the northbound lane should be done - completing expansion joints and paving on each end of the bridge were the final northbound items - and then the contractor will shift to the southbound lanes.
In addition to repairing the deck on this four-lane bridge, the work also includes replacing expansion joints and performing sidewalk replacement repairs on the 750-foot bridge.
Idaho Construction Company Inc. of Kimberly is the contractor on this $1 million project. The project is on schedule to be completed in late August.
ELMORE COUNTY
MOUNTAIN HOME - I-84 Resurfacing project
A project to treat and preserve the highway surface on a 24-mile stretch of I-84 east of Mountain Home is expected to begin Monday (June 1). The project is expected to finish by late July.
A sealer will be applied to cracks in the concrete surface from milepost 90 to 114 to ward off continued deterioration. Prior to the sealer application, the cracks will be repaired and some individual concrete slabs replaced.
Starting Monday, the outside lane (travel lane) on the westbound side will be closed from milepost 99 to 103 to remove and replace 17 concrete slabs. Crews will work from 3 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, and the work in this section is expected to take five to seven days. Once that is complete, for the next five to seven days, the same operation will take place on the inside (passing) lane.
Also starting on Monday, one eastbound lane will be closed starting at milepost 90 and progressing east to repair cracks in the surface. Once crews reach milepost 114, they will switch over to the westbound side and work back to milepost 90.
Westbound work will be done from 3 a.m. to 10 p.m. Eastbound work will take place between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.
The lane closures for the slab replacement will remain in place for several days following the work to allow the concrete to cure (set up) and seal the joints. The lane restrictions for crack repair and sealer application will be removed at the end of each work day.
Around mid- to late June, as crack repairs and slab replacements have been completed, crews will close an eastbound lane to apply sealer to the entire 24-mile stretch, then move to the westbound side and work back toward milepost 90.
During lane closures, the speed limit will be reduced to 45 mph in the project area and allowable widths reduced to 14 feet.
American Civil Contractors from Benicia, Calif., is the contractor on this $2.4 million project.
PAYETTE COUNTY
NEW PLYMOUTH - Pedestrian pathway project
This project is reconstructing 987 feet of sidewalk and adding ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act)-compliant ramps - with greater radius to accommodate wheelchairs - through downtown New Plymouth from Elm to Ash streets.
Textured concrete has been poured for the sidewalk, and a sleeve (an open-ended pipe used for future city water line use) placed under Highway 30 in this location. A sleeve is sometimes used for added strength.
The sidewalk and ADA ramps are complete. Curb and gutter have been placed on the left side, and crews should finish work on the right side by June 4.
The project is expected to be complete by early June.
Diamond Contractors of Eagle is the contractor on this $257,000 project. The city of New Plymouth has also partnered in funding this Transportation Enhancement project.
PAYETTE - 7th Avenue North improvement
A project is ongoing to improve about one-half mile of 7th Avenue North in Payette, which leads to McCain Middle School and the Western Idaho Community Action Partnership (WICAP) Head Start. The construction project extends from 11th to 18th streets on 7th Avenue and crosses U.S. 95.
The road will be rebuilt and widened with new curbs, gutters and pedestrian ramps per ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) standards.
The canal bridge is about 500 feet from the intersection. Improvements in this project include wider lanes over the top of the bridge, with five-foot sidewalks and bike lanes added on each side.
Crews are removing asphalt west of the U.S. 95/7th Ave. North intersection. Following this the contractor will begin excavation of the old road bed and begin building the new roadway to the new widths. Intermountain Gas is also working in the area to relocate their utility equipment.
Traffic to residential property will be maintained, as well as services (mail, trash, etc.). The roadway is closed to through traffic.
The project also will include storm-sewer installation to handle water run-off.
Knife River is the contractor on this $1.5 million project, which is expected to be complete in early July.
WASHINGTON COUNTY
MIDVALE HILL - rest area improvement project
A project to upgrade the rest area on U.S. 95 at Midvale Hill has begun. The rest area is now closed to the public.
This project will rehabilitate the existing rest area - built in 1987 - and caretaker facilities, create additional truck parking, and include other repairs. The rest room building is being completely reconstructed.
The rest area will be closed during this project, and signs will be posted in Cambridge and Weiser to announce the closure. No temporary facilities are planned during this work. The project is expected to finish by August.
The foundation for the new building is done, and three-quarter inch aggregate has been placed for the new parking lot. Construction of the foundations for the new restroom building, volunteer enclosure, storage building, and shade structure also continue.
WF Construction & Sales LLC of Meridian is the contractor on this $1.4 million project.
WEISER - Snake River Bridge replacement
The Snake River Bridge on the U.S. 95 Spur in Weiser is being replaced with a wider structure. The bridge connects Annex, Ore., to Weiser.
Crews built one half of the new bridge and switched traffic to that section Dec. 4, 2008. Only one lane of traffic can safely pass over the new bridge section. To accommodate traffic crossing over the bridge in opposite directions, portable signals are being used.
The right and left ramps on the Idaho side of the bridge are closed. Traffic must follow the detour to access Old Highway 70. In addition, any traffic 12 feet or wider and/or taller than 14 feet 2 inches will need to detour through Payette.
Crews have completed decking, and rebar is being placed over newly set girders in preparation for the deck to be poured on the Oregon side of the new structure. In addition, the last set of piles have been driven on the Idaho side.
The original bridge was built in 1903, with an additional span added in 1911. Traffic signals were added in 1949. The bridge was replaced in the 1950s - that's the one being replaced in this project. Once completed, the bridge will be 16 feet wider and able to carry greater traffic volumes. The highway on both sides of the bridge also will be reconstructed.
New curb, gutter and sidewalks are being reconstructed on the Idaho side of the bridge.
The speed limit is reduced to 25 mph on the Oregon side of the bridge.
Sletten Construction of Boise is the contractor on this $10 million project. The project is expected to be completed in late fall. It originally was slated for completion in 2010, but crews are significantly ahead of schedule.
ITD and the Idaho State Police caution motorists to slow down and pay attention when driving in work zones, where increased speeding fines and other penalties apply. Motorists are encouraged to plan ahead and dial 5-1-1 or visit 511.idaho.gov for information on the state highway or interstate system.