5/7/2010
Reed Hollinshead
ITD Communication
208-334-8881
reed.hollinshead@itd.idaho.gov
Additional flaggers help reduce traffic congestion at Garrity Interchange for Idaho Center events
Flaggers will direct
traffic through the construction area between on- and off-ramps at the interchange following Idaho Center events with expected
attendance of 6,000 people or more. ITD began the new flagging operation with the Sugarland
concert last night (Thursday, May 6).
"With the flaggers
at the intersections, traffic should flow through the construction zone more
quickly," said Gary McKinney, ITD project manager. "We will continue to evaluate
and adjust the flagging operation to reduce traffic problems."
Changing traffic
configurations and conditions at the Garrity Interchange due to construction of
the new interstate bridge, and increased attendance for the spring and summer events,
add to the traffic congestion near the interchange.
"We are excited
about the new interchange at Garrity. It's definitely going to make it easier
to attend events at the Idaho Center," said Craig Baltzer, the center's general manager. "We are working with ITD, the city of Nampa, and NPD to get
people in and out as quickly as possible."
The I-84 Garrity Interchange project will replace two bridges
on I-84 at the Garrity Interchange with a single bridge. Work
also includes reconstructing the interstate about a mile east of the
interchange to tie into the widening of I-84 between the Garrity and Meridian
interchanges. It also includes removing the bridge piers in the roadway at Garrity
Boulevard.
The project is expected to be completed by summer 2011, with three
lanes open in each direction over the bridge, and eventually connecting with a
fourth lane in each direction east of the interchange.