5/14/2010
Reed Hollinshead
ITD Communication
208-334-8881
reed.hollinshead@itd.idaho.gov
Southwest Idaho highway construction report for May 14-21
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, Vista Avenue Interchange Reconstruction*
Work is under way to rebuild the Vista Avenue Interchange to
reduce congestion and accommodate future I-84 lanes.
Airport Way will be reduced to one lane in each direction
until mid-June. Flaggers will direct traffic while crews work.
Motorists are advised to remain cautious while work
continues at the Vista Interchange.
The speed limit on I-84 is 55 mph and shoulders are
restricted in the project area. The speed limit on Vista Avenue is 25 mph. ITD
advises motorists to be cautious of trucks and equipment.
Construction on the $17.8 million project is expected to be
complete in late summer 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 is rebuilding and widening east- and westbound I-84
between the Cole and Broadway interchanges in Boise. When complete, the
interstate will have four lanes in each direction.
Between the Cole and Broadway interchanges, one east- and
westbound lane will be closed in both directions overnight (10 p.m. to 5 a.m.
on week nights, and 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. on weekends) through May.
Crews will place guardrail and pour concrete in the median
during the closures.
This $35.9 million project is expected to be complete in
summer 2011.
MERIDIAN
- Interstate 84, Ten Mile Interchange construction
Work continues on a project to construct a new interchange
with on- and off-ramps at Ten Mile Road. The project will include widening I-84
between Black Cat and Ten Mile roads.
Crews are continuing to work on the storm sewer along Tasa
Drive near the construction site.
On Monday and Tuesday (May 17-18) from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.,
Tasa Drive will be reduced to one lane. Flaggers will direct traffic during the
restriction.
Ten Mile Road is closed between Franklin and Overland roads
during construction.
The $33.8 million project is expected to be complete in
summer 2011.
NAMPA -
11th Avenue Overpass rebuild
Interstate 84 traffic will be detoured overnight Friday (May
14) for the demolition of the 11th Avenue Bridge over I-84 in Nampa.
The closure will take place between 10 p.m. Friday and 7 a.m. Saturday (May
15).
All I-84 lanes will be closed between the Garrity Boulevard and Franklin
Boulevard interchanges. Flaggers will direct interstate traffic via the
following detours. Click here for detour map:
For
westbound motorists: exit
the interstate at Garrity Interchange, travel south on Garrity Boulevard, to
the Franklin/Garrity/11th Avenue intersection, then north on Franklin to the
interchange to re-enter the interstate.
For
eastbound motorists: exit the
interstate at the Franklin Interchange and use the same detour route in the
opposite direction.
Nighttime lane restrictions also will be in place Saturday
through Tuesday (May 15-18) as crews focus on construction preparation and
equipment mobilization, shoulder work, guardrail installation, and freeway
striping. One east- and westbound lane will be closed between 10 p.m. and 5
a.m. Saturday through Monday. On Tuesday night, the eastbound left lane will be
closed but all westbound lanes will remain open.
Reconstruction of the bridge is required to accommodate
future lanes on I-84. Beginning later this spring, a project will add one lane
in each direction on I-84 between Franklin and Garrity.
McAlvain Construction is the contractor on this $4.1 million
project.
NAMPA -
Interstate 84, Garrity Interchange Bridge reconstruction
Construction on the I-84 Garrity Interchange improvement
project continues. The project will remove two bridges on I-84 at the Garrity
Interchange and replace them with a single bridge that will accommodate three
lanes in each direction on the interstate.
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, and removing the bridge piers in the roadway
at Garrity Boulevard.
Garrity is reduced to one lane in each direction at night
near the interchange while crews work on the bridge deck.
The lanes will be restricted overnight between 10 p.m. and 5
a.m. Two lanes southbound and one lane northbound will be open by the morning
commute and during the day. Overnight restrictions are not expected to occur on
Friday or Saturday nights. Lane restrictions are expected to continue for the
next few weeks until the bridge work is completed.
This project is part of ITD's plans to improve I-84 between
the Franklin and Garrity interchanges in Nampa.
The completed improvements will include three lanes in each
direction from the Franklin to Garrity interchanges, and four lanes in each
direction from the Garrity to Meridian interchanges.
The project is being constructed in three stages:
Stage 1 - Build the median section of the bridge between the
existing bridges. Traffic will remain on existing bridges, with two lanes open
in each direction.
Stage 2 - Remove the existing westbound bridge and build a new westbound portion
of bridge. Westbound traffic will be moved onto the new median section. Two
lanes will remain open in each direction.
Stage 3 - Remove the existing eastbound bridge and build a new eastbound
portion of bridge. Westbound traffic will be shifted onto the new westbound
portion of the bridge, and eastbound traffic onto the median section.
Completion - By summer 2011, three
lanes will be open in each direction over the bridge, eventually connecting
with a fourth lane in each direction east of the interchange.
Concrete Placing Co. Inc. of Boise is the contractor on the
$15 million project.
Following is an update on non-GARVEE state highway
construction projects in southwest Idaho.
ADA
COUNTY
MERIDIAN
- Eagle Road resurfacing
A three-month resurfacing project on heavily traveled Eagle
Road (Idaho 55) is under way.
Crews plan to begin milling north from Franklin toward
Fairview starting Monday night (May 17). The road has already been paved from
the eastbound interchange ramps through Franklin.
Crews will work a Sunday through Thursday, 8 p.m to 6 a.m.
overnight schedule to minimize inconvenience for drivers. Two lanes each way,
with turn bays, will be maintained at all other times. The speed limit is
reduced to 35 mph.
The top few inches of pavement will be milled off the
surface and replaced. No work on the interchange bridge itself will take place,
but pavement rehabilitation will extend about 250 feet south of the eastbound
ramps toward Overland Road.
According to the Ada County Highway
District (ACHD), the intersection of Eagle and Fairview is the busiest
intersection in Ada County and the state. Four intersections on Eagle Road are
in ACHD's top eight. This project encompasses three of them. ITD statistics
show that only the Flying Wye (134,500) is busier than the 132,500 vehicles the
Eagle Road Interchange sees every day.
ITD initiated the Eagle Road Arterial Study in 2003. Local
municipalities, ACHD, the Community Action Partnership of Southwest Idaho,
homeowners associations and ValleyRide were all involved in the initial study.
This project is largely a result of those initial meetings and reflects a need
to increase safety and desire to manage traffic more efficiently.
Central Paving Co. Inc. of Boise is the contractor on the
$1.35 million project.
CANYON
COUNTY
CALDWELL
- Franklin and 21st reconstruction
Traffic on Specht Road has shifted to the west and one lane
in each direction remains open to motorists. Drivers may experience a bit of a
bumpy ride because they will be traveling on a dirt surface for two to three
weeks until permanent paving takes place.
Commercial Way between Specht and Franklin Road is closed to
through traffic for excavation and the installation of a new signal at the
Franklin and 21st Avenue intersection.
Franklin is closed while the roadway is reconstructed and
realigned to match up with the new five-lane roadway constructed last summer.
Motorists are detoured to 21st and Chicago Street. Businesses on Franklin
can be accessed via Chicago.
The Franklin/21st intersection is about one-quarter mile
west of the newly-reconstructed Franklin Interchange (Exit 29). The project
will improve sight distance and safety on 21st and includes new asphalt
pavement, curb and gutter, sidewalk and lighting.
The first phase of this project, about a quarter-mile
section of 21st, was rebuilt last summer. The three-lane roadway was widened to
five lanes.
Work on this phase is scheduled for completion in September.
Central Paving Co. of Boise is the contractor on this $1.66
million project. Central Paving also was the contractor on the first phase of
the project last summer.
GEM
COUNTY
EMMETT -
Main Street resurfacing
Work is under way on a project to resurface and improve a
mile of Main Street in Emmett.
This project, from the intersection of Boise Avenue to the
intersection of Washington Street (Idaho 52), includes pavement rehabilitation
to remove excessive rutting and cracking, with pothole repair and slope work
included for proper drainage. Sidewalks also will be replaced, maintaining the
current 11-foot width, along with curb and gutter work.
Lighting and adjustments to the traffic signal at the
intersection of Main and Washington also will be included.
WF Construction & Sales LLC of Meridian is the
contractor on this $475,000 project.
The city of Emmett is the local sponsor for this project.
ELMORE
COUNTY
SOUTHWEST
OF MOUNTAIN HOME - Road to C.J. Strike Reservoir paving
The Dam Cutoff Road carrying recreational traffic to the
C.J. Strike Reservoir area in Elmore County is being paved in a project now
under way.
The road will be closed during construction, which is
expected to finish this fall.
This route is one way to get to C.J. Strike, but possibly
the least-common route. However, the improvements will make it a more desirable
route and will shorten the trip from Mountain Home to the dam.
The Strike Dam Cutoff Road currently is a two-lane unpaved
rural route in rolling terrain. The project begins at the junction of Idaho 67
and extends about one-quarter mile north of the C.J. Strike Dam, from about
milepost 100 to 107.
The paving is designed to provide a safer route and save on
annual maintenance costs.
Western Construction Inc. of Boise is the contractor on the
$1.86 million project.
This project is locally sponsored by the Mountain Home
Highway District.
PAYETTE
COUNTY
WEST OF
CALDWELL - I-84 resurfacing, Black Canyon to Sand Hollow
The pavement resurfacing and repair project on I-84 west of
Caldwell is under way. The project, funded through stimulus savings, will treat
the roadway surface beginning west of the Black Canyon Interchange and
extending for five miles, to east of the Sand Hollow Interchange.
Traffic has been switched over to the westbound side of the
interstate, and that configuration is expected to continue for the next few
weeks. Crews are working on replacing concrete slabs and upgrading guardrail
terminals.
During the majority of the work, only one interstate lane
will be open in both directions.
The speed limit is 45 mph over the median crossovers, and 55
mph between them.
The project is expected to be complete this fall.
Several badly damaged concrete slabs in that stretch will be
removed and replaced. Repairs also will include resealing pavement joints,
repairing pavement cracks and chips, grinding portions off of the existing
pavement surface and completing guardrail safety improvements. Work will start
in the eastbound lanes (through July), then turn around and come back
westbound.
A highly competitive construction environment led to
significant savings on the eight original projects funded by the federal
stimulus program ARRA (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act). This is one of
nine smaller projects financed through those initial bid savings.
Multiple Concrete Enterprises of Ogden, Utah, is the
contractor on the $6.9 million project.
WASHINGTON
COUNTY
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 are paving approaches today (Friday, May 14) and
installing guardrail. Permanent signing will be installed today or Monday (May
17). Next Tuesday (May 18), the curbing will be installed around the traffic
islands and then they are to be paved. The contractor hopes to have the
permanent striping also done next week. The seeding and planting should be done
within the next couple of weeks.
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 the end of this month.
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