7/9/2009
Blaser Highway Bridge construction to begin July 15
POCATELLO -- Construction will begin next week on a replacement for the 59-year-old Blaser Highway Bridge about one mile north of Lava Hot Springs in Bannock County, the Idaho Transportation Department announced.
The county road, which crosses the Portneuf River, will be closed Wednesday through Friday, July 15-17, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. while crews drive piles for the new structure.
Detour signs will be in place to direct traffic that normally would use the bridge during those hours. The 30-mile detour on paved roads through Lund and Bancroft will add about 40 minutes of driving time.
Blaser Road will be open all three evenings. Nighttime closures will be required later in the project for placement of new pre-cast concrete girders.
Traffic over the existing bridge will be reduced to a single lane, controlled by temporary traffic signals at both ends. Construction will begin on the east half (northbound) side of the bridge. When it is completed, traffic will shift over to the new surface and construction will continue on the west half of the bridge (southbound).
The Blaser Highway Bridge, built in 1950, is approximately 80 feet long and carries an average of 400 vehicles per day.
ITD is administering the local project for Bannock County. Ralph L. Wadsworth Construction Co. Inc., of Draper, Utah, is the contractor for the $1.1 million project. Completion is expected in mid-October.