8/26/2010
REMINDER: I-84 westbound travelers in Boise face significant changes this weekend
BOISE - Westbound I-84 motorists through Boise are advised to watch for changes this weekend as a traffic
shift takes effect. Idaho Transportation Department crews have been preparing
for several weeks for the upcoming shift as the next stage of I-84 widening is set
to begin.
This weekend (Friday, Aug. 27 through
Monday, Aug. 30), speed reductions will be in place for drivers entering
and exiting the interstate at Broadway, Vista or Orchard traveling westbound.
From 10 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday,
westbound motorists who wish to exit at Vista or Orchard must follow a detour
route that begins at the Broadway Interchange.
A map and details are shown on ITD's home page at itd.idaho.gov, and ITD also
has posted the map and information on the department's Facebook page here.
"We're asking drivers to help us
this weekend by finding a route around westbound I-84," said ITD Resident
Engineer Daris Bruce. "If you need to use the interstate, remember to exit
at Broadway instead of waiting until Vista or Orchard. Missing the exit could
add 10 to 15 minutes to a typical trip."
Motorists getting on I-84 westbound at Broadway or Vista will share the 35 mph
detour lane. The route also will take motorists off and back onto I-84
westbound at the Orchard Interchange.
Westbound through traffic will be shifted toward the middle of the interstate,
onto new pavement on the eastbound side of I-84.
The old westbound lanes will
be completely rebuilt over the fall and winter.
When the project is complete in summer
2011, I-84 will be eight lanes wide between the Cole and Broadway interchanges.
Concrete Placing Company Inc., of Boise, is the contractor on the $35.9
million project.