10/29/2010
Reed Hollinshead
ITD Communication
208-334-8881
reed.hollinshead@itd.idaho.gov
Southwest Idaho highway construction report for Oct. 29-Nov. 5
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,
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.
Motorists
will soon use the new westbound ramp at the Vista Interchange. Crews will
switch traffic to the new ramp on Sunday night (Oct. 31).
Westbound
motorists bound for the Vista or Orchard interchanges will continue using the
temporary ramp lanes at the Broadway Interchange until early 2011. The speed
limit is 45 mph on the temporary ramp lanes.
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.
Double-lane
closures will continue on I-84 at night for the next few weeks. The
restrictions will affect a three-mile stretch between the Meridian Road
Interchange and Black Cat Road overpass.
Restrictions will occur between 10 p.m.
and 5 a.m. on weeknights, and between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. on the weekend.
The $33.8 million project is expected to
be complete in summer 2011.
NAMPA - Franklin to 11th interstate
widening
Work is
progressing on a project to widen Interstate 84 between the Franklin Boulevard
and Garrity Boulevard interchanges in Nampa.
Expect ongoing nighttime lane reductions between Franklin and Garrity from 10
p.m. to 5 a.m., Sunday evenings through Saturday mornings. This allows crews to
safely work along the shoulder and in the median while excavating, grading and
performing pipe work.
Concrete paving is under way in sections of the median; this involves finishing
pipe work and preparing the roadbed. Paving is scheduled during overnight hours
(10 p.m. - 5 a.m.) and will continue into November. These newly-paved sections
will eventually carry traffic, though that may be months from now, after bridge
work is complete.
The widening project includes replacement of the Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR)
and Phyllis Canal bridges to accommodate the additional lanes on I-84. The UPRR
Bridge has been partially dismantled to prepare for reconstruction in the
median between eastbound and westbound lanes. Work to dismantle the bridge over
the Phyllis Canal has begun, now that the irrigation season is complete. Crews
are preparing to drive piles next week. Pile driving is a common method of
constructing bridge foundations. The piles are driven by large hammers mounted
on cranes, which can be seen in the median.
Construction is expected to be complete by early summer 2012.
Concrete
Placing Company, of Boise, is the contractor on this $22.2 million project.
Once these interstate improvements are complete, I-84 between Franklin and
Garrity will be widened to three lanes in each direction, with an additional
auxiliary lane for eastbound traffic. The auxiliary lane will allow motorists
to enter I-84 at Franklin, remain in the lane furthest right, and exit at
Garrity - never having to merge with interstate traffic.
NAMPA - Interstate 84, Garrity
Interchange Bridge reconstruction
Construction
on the I-84 Garrity Interchange improvement project continues. The project will
replace two bridges on I-84 at the Garrity Interchange 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.
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 eventually four lanes in each direction from the
Garrity to Meridian interchanges.
The
entire project is being constructed in three stages:
Currently Under Way
Step
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.
Step
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.
Tentatively starts Dec./Jan.
Step
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.
BOISE/VALLEY COUNTY
BANKS TO
ROUND VALLEY ROCKFALL
A rockfall mitigation project to improve safety along the
highway is under way on Idaho 55 from Banks to Round Valley.
Loose rock will be removed from the rockfall zone and crews
will add netting to prevent falling rocks from entering the roadway. Work must
be completed by mid-November.
Lane closures and traffic delays will occur during the
removal of the rocks on the slopes and the cleanup required on the road. Delays
could last for more than 15 minutes because of the unpredictability of the size
and amount of rock that could come down at any one time. The operations will
concentrate on one area at a time, but there will be two locations of traffic
control because guardrail at the north end of the project is being removed to
be used during rock-removal operations.
The
contractor has finished scaling work areas 1 (MP 80.1), 2 (MP 80.3), and 3 (MP
80.6). Work area 1 received a draped wire mesh; the other two did not. Thirty-minute
traffic delays were required to allow the scalers time to negotiate the slopes,
identify rocks to be removed, and remove these rocks. Some delays are a little
longer due to blasting-safety requirement.
Currently, the contractor has moved his operations to work area 4 (MP 99.4). This
area is not as tight of a work space as work area 1 was but has produced some
very large bus-sized boulders that were on the verge of coming down at any
time. The contractor will be working this area for the next two weeks or more,
depending on how much unstable rock is found.
Crews will work on the side of the
roads in several locations along this 26-mile stretch of highway (milepost 76
to 102). Crews are working a weekdays-only schedule, and must be off the road
by noon on Fridays.
Western Construction, of Boise, is the contractor on this
$971,000 project.
BOISE
COUNTY
IDAHO
21 - Warm Spring Creek bridge guardrail
Guardrail replacement on the Warm
Spring Creek Bridge on Idaho 21 is under way. Work is expected to continue
through late October or early November.
The bridge is located at milepost 91, about 19 miles east of Lowman, near the
Bonneville Campground and one-half mile from the South Fork Payette River
Bridge.
Flaggers and the occasional use of a temporary traffic signal will be required
for traffic control. The speed limit will be reduced to 35 mph through the work
zone.
MarCon Inc., of Meridian, is the contractor on this $177,000 project.
CANYON
COUNTY
MIDDLETON- road improvement projects
Crews are working on two road improvement
projects in Middleton: Widening a third-of-a-mile section of North Middleton
Road, from Idaho 44 to Mill Slough (north of Main Street), and realigning a
short segment of Cemetery Road, from Idaho 44 to 3rd Street.
Most work will be performed during the
weekdays, though crews may work on Saturdays as needed. Work hours are limited
to 8 a.m.7 p.m.
During construction the contractor will
establish detours around the project areas, using local roads. Work is planned
to be complete in late December.
Nampa Paving & Asphalt Co. is the contractor
on this $884,000 combined project.
North Middleton Road
The section of North
Middleton Road between Main Street and the south side of the canal bridge, just
south of Mill Creek Elementary School, is closed for construction. The widening
will include one lane in each direction, a center turn lane, sidewalks, curb
and gutter. Work on this section is anticipated to be complete in December.
Motorists driving around road closure signs may be ticketed. A posted detoured
route is in place, via Triumph Drive and Dewey Avenue, to Idaho 44.
To increase pedestrian safety near the school, orange construction safety fence
has been added to the work zone to mark the area between workers and
pedestrians. Pedestrians can walk in park grounds on the east side of N.
Middleton Road and use a new crosswalk at the intersection of N. Middleton and
Main Street, where new sidewalks and pedestrian ramps were recently completed.
North Middleton Road between Idaho 44 and Main Street is open to traffic. Crews
will paint permanent lane stripes. For now, lanes are marked with temporary tabs.
Permanent markings for crosswalks and stoplines at intersections are complete.
Before project completion, crews will return to repair sections of residential
landscaping that were disturbed during previous work.
Cemetery Road
A 0.15-mile section of Cemetery Road is being realigned, extending from
Idaho 44 to 3rd Street.
The new alignment is in place and traffic has been shifted to the new alignment
so that crews can work on the section of Cemetery Road that will become a
residential cul-de-sac off of Idaho 44 (to be called North Highland Court). The
Cemetery Road section is open to one lane of traffic in each direction. Curb,
gutter and sidewalk are also complete on this section.
Crews will be working on curb, gutter and sidewalk on North Highland Court and
anticipate paving soon.
To address pedestrian safety across Idaho 44, and along the new Cemetery
Road/Idaho 44 intersection, crews have implemented a pedestrian detour route to
safely navigate the project area. Additional signage has been added to direct
pedestrian traffic, and the 25mph zone is extended 300 feet west of the
construction area.
A temporary crosswalk has been added at 3rd Street to keep pedestrians away from
the work zone. In addition, cones were added along Idaho 44 to create a safe
corridor for pedestrians who are passing near the construction area.
ELMORE
COUNTY
MOUNTAIN
HOME Canyon Creek Bridge replacement
Replacement of the old, narrow Canyon Creek Bridge is
expected to begin Monday (Nov. 1).
The bridge is located near milepost 9 on Canyon Creek Road, north of Mountain
Home.
The road, which sees a fair amount of hunting-related
traffic each fall, will be completely closed from Oct. 29 to late January.
The detour route will start at the intersection of Canyon
Creek Road and Frontage Road, and continue west past the Sunset Highway on Old
Oregon Trail Highway. The detour will cross I-84 to the north at Ditto Creek
road and continue along Martha Avenue to the east, back to Canyon Creek.
The bridge replacement also involves minimal approach work to the connecting
roads to ensure that the bridge and road fit together seamlessly. The bridge
also will include guardrail (railing), which the old bridge lacks.
The Mountain Home Highway District is the local sponsor of the project.
McAlvain Contractors, of Boise, is the contractor on this
$493,000 project.
PAYETTE
COUNTY
PAYETTE U.S. 95,
Payette River Bridge replacement
The project to
improve the U.S. 95 bridge over the Payette River south of Payette is now under
way. It is expected to take about two years to complete, finishing in fall
2012.
Crews will replace the existing northbound truss bridge (built in 1927) located
on U.S. 95 between Fruitland and Payette. The new bridge will be two feet
higher off the water. It will have no overhead bracing or struts as the current
one does and will be 84 feet in width, eliminating current safety concerns
regarding both width and height restrictions.
The new bridge will be constructed next to, and will attach
to, the existing southbound bridge. The project also includes minor roadway
realignment to tie into the new bridge location.
U.S. 95 is the main route connecting northern and southern Idaho. About 18,000
vehicles use this portion of the highway daily. By 2026, the volume is expected
to be more than 25,000.
Traffic will utilize the southbound bridge while the new bridge is constructed.
Traffic will then be switched to the new bridge while modifications to the
southbound bridge are made and it is connected to the new bridge.
JC Constructors Inc., of Meridian, is the contractor for
this $6.17 million project.
VALLEY
COUNTY
Idaho
55, Donnelly North City Limits to Deinhard Lane in McCall
An 11-mile pavement preservation/resurfacing project between Donnelly's north
city limit and Deinhard Lane on the southern end of McCall is starting to wrap
up.
The speed limit on Idaho 55 in the
project limits was restored to 55 mph on Thursday (Oct. 28).
Knife River Corp., of Boise, is the
contractor for this $3.6 million project.
WASHINGTON COUNTY
WEISER - Snake River Bridge replacement
The
project to replace the Snake River Bridge on the U.S. 95 Spur in Weiser
is
nearly finished.
Applying
topsoil and seeding the area still remain to be done.
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
one is 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.
Sletten
Construction, of Boise, is the contractor on this $10 million project.
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.