9/11/2009
Reed Hollinshead
ITD Communication
208-334-8881
reed.hollinshead@itd.idaho.gov
Southwest Idaho highway construction report for Sept. 11-18
BOISE -
The following projects are part of the GARVEE Transportation Program in
southwest Idaho, which uses funds from Grant Anticipation Revenue Vehicle
(GARVEE) bonds to expedite highway projects.
BOISE - Interstate 84, Orchard Street Interchange
Work continues on a project
to reconstruct the Orchard Street Interchange in Boise.
The speed
limit on I-84 is 55 mph and shoulders are restricted in the project area. The
speed limit on surrounding roadways (Orchard Street, Wright Street, Victory
Road) is 25 mph. ITD advises motorists to be cautious of trucks and equipment.
Construction
is expected to be complete in spring 2010.
BOISE - Interstate
84, Vista Avenue Interchange Reconstruction*
Work is under way to rebuild the interchange to reduce
congestion and accommodate future I-84 lanes.
On Monday (Sept. 14), Vista Avenue will be reduced to one
lane in each direction from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. while crews work on the bridge
deck.
On Friday (Sept. 18), eastbound I-84 (under the Vista
Interchange) will be closed from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. while crews set girders.
Westbound I-84 will be closed from 10 p.m. Saturday (Sept. 19) to 7 a.m. Sunday
(Sept. 20) for the same work. Motorists will exit and enter the interstate
using the eastbound on- and off-ramps. Flaggers will direct motorists through
the area.
One lane will be closed in each direction of I-84 during the
week of Sept. 20 while crews work on the bridge deck near the Vista
Interchange.
Motorists are advised to drive with caution and watch for
trucks entering and exiting the median near the Vista Interchange.
Construction is expected to be complete in fall 2010.
* Design for the project was funded by GARVEE, but project construction is funded through the federal stimulus program, created to generate jobs and help boost Idaho's economy while upgrading our foundation for future economic growth.
BOISE - Interstate
84, Cole Road to Broadway Avenue widening
ITD will rebuild and widen east- and westbound I-84 between the Cole and Broadway interchanges in Boise. When complete, the interstate will have four lanes in each direction.
Crews will begin placing barrels and temporary guardrail on Sept. 21 near the Broadway Interchange. The speed limit will be 65 to 55 mph in the project area.
This project is expected to be complete in summer 2011.
WEST TREASURE VALLEY - Interstate 84,
Garrity to Meridian widening
ITD is adding a third east- and westbound lane to I-84
between Nampa and Meridian. The first 2.5 miles of the third lane opened near
the Meridian Interchange in August 2009. The remainder is expected to open in
November 2009.
The I-84
speed limit is 55 mph during construction.
MERIDIAN - Interstate 84, Ten Mile
Interchange construction
Work began in late July to replace the current Ten Mile
Overpass with an interchange with on- and off-ramps. This project includes
widening Ten Mile Road and constructing two undercrossings for local roads
north and south of I-84.
Crews are driving steel piles into the ground to support the
interchange and two undercrossings. Pile driving operations are noisy and are
only allowed between 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. During the week of Sept. 21, the pile
driving operation will be located off Ten Mile Road, north of I-84.
Construction is expected to be complete in summer 2011.
In
addition, this GARVEE project will begin in the fall:
NAMPA - Interstate 84, Garrity
Bridge/11th Ave. to Garrity
Replace two bridges in the Garrity Interchange with a
single, wider bridge to support additional lanes on the interstate.
Est. Start: Fall 2009
Est. Completion: Winter 2010
ADA COUNTY
BOISE - Idaho 55 resurfacing, State Street to Overhead Message Board
A resurfacing project on Idaho 55 is under way north from the State Street intersection (Idaho 44) to the overhead message board located just beyond Shadow Valley Golf Course.
A majority of the work will take place overnight from
7 p.m. to 6 a.m.
The pre-construction speed limit of 55 mph will be restored to that area for this weekend as no weekend work is planned. Starting Monday (Sept. 14), crews will resume milling the pavement surface in preparation for adding a new surface layer. A dozen driveway approaches on the highway will also be milled to make a smooth transition with the new roadway surface.
Most of the milling work at the State Street/Idaho 55 intersection is complete, so the major focus of the milling will be from Floating Feather north.
The pavement in this stretch is rough and rutted. The resurfacing process will
extend the life of the roadway and create a smoother ride for motorists.
About an inch and a half of the existing pavement will be milled off the
surface, then replaced with new material in an overlay.
The 5.5-mile corridor shifts from as few as two lanes to as many as six. At
least one lane in each direction will be maintained throughout the project. The
traffic pattern for the corridor will change several times throughout the life
of the project, which is expected to be completed in early October.
Knife River of Boise is the contractor for this $1.4 million project.
Crews have started rebuilding the eastbound off-ramp from I-84 at the Gowen Interchange due to severe rutting and cracking. For the remaining days of the reconstruction, there will be a total closure of the eastbound off-ramp. Traffic will be detoured to Eisenman Road.
In addition, multiple video detection cameras will be installed for both north- and southbound traffic at the Gowen Road/Idaho 21 intersection through a cooperative agreement with ACHD.
Idaho Sand & Gravel Co. of Nampa is the contractor on the $1.1 million project.
CANYON COUNTY
CALDWELL - Indian Creek Bridges replacement
To
ensure the project stays on schedule for completion in November, crews will
work extended hours on the 11th Avenue Bridge over Indian Creek beginning
Monday (Sept. 14).
Pile driving is scheduled to take place from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. as work continues to replace the bridge abutments and structure. Crews had been working from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The shift in work hours follows door-to-door visits to make sure the extended hours were acceptable to area residents and businesses.
Traffic is being detoured around the 11th and Arthur intersection because the old structure has been removed, exposing Indian Creek. Business access remains open and signs are in place to direct customers.
Crews
have completed installation of the bridge deck for the first phase of the 21st
Avenue bridge over Indian Creek and shifted traffic to the new structure.
Removal
of the existing 21st Avenue bridge and construction of the new concrete bridge
is being completed in two phases. During the first phase, the east portion of
the bridge was removed and reconstructed, and traffic was routed onto the
existing bridge. During the second phase, traffic has been shifted to the
completed portion of the new bridge while the other half is reconstructed.
The bridge is being widened to four lanes (two lanes in each direction) to better serve the well-traveled route between Interstate 84 and The College of Idaho. Two lanes of traffic are being maintained during construction and business access on 21st remains open. Temporary signs are in place to direct customers.
These projects will
improve their structural integrity and extend the life of the roadway. Construction on both bridges 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 sponsored by the City of
Caldwell.
OWYHEE COUNTY
Idaho 78 resurfacing, from its junction with Idaho 45 to Murphy
A project to resurface the nine-mile stretch of Idaho 78 between its junction with Idaho 45 and Murphy is nearly complete. Crews paved all this past week, and re-striping remains.
The roadway surface was overlayed from just before milepost 20 to milepost 29 with three inches of new asphalt. A SALSA (Stress-Absorbing Layer of Straight Asphalt) was applied between the original surface and the overlay, creating a stronger and more durable surface.
The road was overlayed and rehabilitated using the Cement Recycled Asphalt Base Stabilization (CRABS) method about 10 years ago. This project just finishing will extend the life of the roadway and create a smoother ride for motorists for the next decade.
This route is primarily used by local traffic, as well as agricultural interests and trucks traveling to the hazardous waste facility near Grandview.
Central Paving Co. Inc. of Boise is the contractor on this $1.8 million project.
PAYETTE COUNTY
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.
Re-striping has been completed and the detour removed. Caution is encouraged as some remaining items are being finished.
The road is being 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.
Knife River is the contractor on this $1.5 million project. Irrigation-related work cannot be done until water leaves the canal, however, so some final work cannot be completed until October or November.
VALLEY COUNTY
DONNELLY - Main Street resurfacing
The project is moving along quickly. The concrete sidewalks where completed as of Sept. 4, completing the major concrete work. Placement of base and subbase material for the road is wrapping up. All pipes have been placed and the contractor is completing the ditch slopes and placing top soil.
The contractor's plans call for the completion of paving near the end of the month, leaving some miscellaneous items such re-striping and installing signs. The entire project is expected to conclude by the end of the month.
This half-mile project consists of adding a left-turn bay onto Roseberry Street (milepost 131) and a two-way left-turn (center turn) lane through town, starting at Boulder Creek Bridge. The project also includes minor sidewalk additions, drainage improvements and traffic-access control.
The downtown section will be five lanes wide, and includes parking on each side. In addition, there will be new curb and gutter on each side and a new storm-drain system that includes underground pipe and ditches.
Crews will work from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 7 a.m. to noon on Fridays. No weekend work is expected. There are no length, weight or width load restrictions on the project.
Flaggers will be on hand throughout work hours to assist traffic and the public in and out of businesses and residences in the project vicinity. The contractor is required to maintain two-way traffic at night and on weekends.
Valley Paving & Asphalt of Cottonwood, Idaho, is the contractor for this $975,000 project.
The project is expected to be completed by late September or early October.
NEAR COUGAR MOUNTAIN LODGE- Idaho 55, Smiths Ferry to Round Valley seal coat
A seal coat on Idaho 55 is being applied to extend the life of the road and create a safer drive for motorists.
The seal coat starts about 500 feet south of Cougar Mountain Lodge north through Round Valley Creek Road to the Clear Creek Lodge.
The work - seal coat, fog coat and striping - is nearly complete. The fog coat was finished today. Striping is scheduled for Monday (Aug. 31).
Snake River Construction of Twin Falls is the main contractor for the $338,000 seal coat project.
WASHINGTON COUNTY
CAMBRIDGE - Superior Street/Mill Road improvements
A project to improve Superior Street/Mill Road at the north end of Cambridge is under way.
This project, off the state highway system, involves improving 1,300 feet of roadway and replacing the existing bridge on Rush Creek with a new single-span bridge.
The old bridge was removed Aug. 5 and work has begun on
the new bridge and storm sewer. Piles were driven this past week (Aug. 17-21), and road work has begun.
The contractor intends to keep the south half of Superior Street open to through traffic and close off the north half (adjacent to the removed bridge) to all except local traffic.
Crews will work an 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. schedule Monday through Friday. No weekend or holiday work is expected.
Knife River (Boise) is the contractor on this $922,000 project.
Although ITD is administering the contract, the project itself comes under the jurisdiction of the Local Highway Technical Advisory Council (LHTAC). The city of Cambridge is the local sponsor of this project and a financial contributor.
The project is expected to finish in late October.
MIDVALE HILL - rest area improvement project
A project to upgrade the rest area on U.S. 95 at Midvale Hill is under way.
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 October.
At last notice, masonry was complete on the
restroom building, volunteer enclosure and storage building, and the steel
shade structure to cover the new caretaker residence had been put up. Wood
framing, insulation, and sheetrock were complete, and electrical and mechanical
system installation was continuing on all three buildings.
Building
trim and soffit are in progress on the restroom building and storage
building. The open trusses in the vestibule and the sections of the
restroom building that are ready to be painted. The roofs of all three
buildings are covered with ice and rain shield, and metal roofing is
finished on the volunteer enclosure and partially
finished on the storage building.
Placement of three-quarter inch base material for the road and parking areas was complete. Light poles for the rest area also had been set.
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.
Bridge closures associated with drliing shafts and pouring concrete are complete. The next round of closures are slated for October, for concrete deck pours.
Crews built one half of the new bridge and switched traffic to that section. 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.
Both abutments on the Idaho side of the bridge have been finished.
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 by winter. It originally was slated for completion in 2010, but crews are 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.