5/27/2011
Construction on Idaho 33 (Main Street) in Driggs starts Tuesday, May 31
RIGBY - Construction on Idaho 33 (Main Street) in Driggs starts Tuesday (May 31) weather permitting, the Idaho Transportation Department announced. The project is scheduled for completion in October.
Crews will rebuild the highway in town, replacing curb, gutter and sidewalk along two blocks and improving pavement north and south of the city. The project also will include adding new storm drains in town.
Initial work will be replacing the city's water main under the highway in conjunction with the municipality. Plans call for the water-line work to be complete prior to the Fourth of July weekend, when the contractor plans to shut down operations for the holiday and then resume construction July 11.
Travel will be reduced to one lane in each direction, and traffic will be redirected from one side of the street to the other as needed for construction. The speed limit will be maintained at 25 mph. Commercial vehicles will be restricted to 14 feet in width.
Motorists should proceed cautiously, obeying traffic signs and cone configurations. Drivers should anticipate slow-moving traffic, flaggers, construction workers and equipment.
HK Contractors Inc., of Idaho Falls, is the contractor on this $2.6 million project.
In cooperation with Driggs officials, the transportation department planned the project five years ago, at which time it created a preliminary design.
On Monday, June 6, weather permitting, construction on a bike-pedestrian path east of Idaho 33 (Main Street) in and south of Driggs also is scheduled to begin. Crews will construct a north-south, multi-use pathway.
The transportation department awarded HK Contractors Inc., of Idaho Falls, this nearly $297,000 contract using federal funds. The new path, scheduled for completion in July, will be approximately 10 feet wide and 1.3 miles long.
Travel near this project will be reduced to one lane, with flaggers directing traffic through the work zone. Drivers can expect brief delays and should be prepared to stop.
Temporary free shuttle service over Teton Pass starts May 28
As a result of the major landslide on U.S. 26/89 between Alpine and Hoback Junction, Wyo., earlier this month, traffic over Teton Pass east of Idaho 33 has increased significantly. To help mitigate congestion, the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) and AllTrans have partnered to offer a free shuttle over the pass.
Beginning tomorrow (Saturday, May 28), the shuttle bus will leave the Victor Park-n-Ride lot at 6:30 a.m. and take passengers to connect with START Bus at the Stillson on Village Road and Wyoming 22. If riders want to continue on to Jackson or Teton Village, they will be required to pay the fare on the START Bus, which would be $1 into Teton Village or $3 to Jackson. The service will stop in Victor every hour on the half-hour from 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. and at the Stillson lot every hour at the top of the hour from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
The shuttle service will operate seven days a week, and the shuttle will be free for the duration of the road closure in the canyon.
For information on highway conditions and projects in Idaho, visit the Idaho Traveler Services Web site at 511.idaho.gov or dial 5-1-1 from phones within the state. Outside Idaho, dial toll-free (888) 432-7623. Information is updated as conditions change.