8/20/2010
Reed Hollinshead
ITD Communication
208-334-8881
reed.hollinshead@itd.idaho.gov
Chinden seal coat may cause significant delays Saturday
BOISE - The ongoing seal-coating project on
Chinden Boulevard (U.S. 20/26) may result in significant delays for residents
traveling east to the Western Idaho Fair Saturday, or traveling west to the
Caldwell Night Rodeo in the evening. The seal coat will extend the life of
the roadway and provide greater traction for motorists.
Delays
of up to 20 minutes are expected as traffic volumes increase throughout the
day. Pilot cars and flaggers will be used to guide traffic.
Crews will work on the section between
Aviation Way and Middleton Road on the Caldwell end of the project Saturday
morning at 8 a.m.. Work also will include the addition of turnbays at four intersections
with Chinden at KCID Road, Northside Boulevard, Midland Boulevard and Can-Ada
Road. All four locations have significant accident histories. The KCID/Chinden
intersection is on the High Accident Location list for the Southwest Idaho
region.
Crews are planning to then return to work
on the section from Locust Grove east to Eagle Road on Sunday, finishing the entire 15-mile Chinden Boulevard work completely by Monday. This
will allow them to start seal coating on Idaho 55 from the overhead message
sign at Shadow Valley Golf Course to Horseshoe Bend's south city limits on
Tuesday (Aug. 24). That project spans about 13 miles, and is expected to finish
by early September.
Seal coating begins by applying a layer
of asphalt, then a cover coat of gravel on the roadway surface. The highway is
rolled and traffic allowed on to the roadway to help pack the surface before
"brooming" or sweeping to remove excess gravel. A properly applied
seal coat can add several years of service to a heavily traveled roadway by
sealing the surface and adding roughness for winter traction.
The work is done during the day to allow extreme heat to help asphalt and rock
bond more quickly to the roadway surface, providing a higher-quality finished
product.
Kloepfer Inc., of Paul, is the contractor
on the $1.9 million projects.