6/16/2011
Construction projects under way in southeast Idaho
POCATELLO - A series of five related highway construction projects is planned this summer in Pocatello but impacts to traffic are expected to be minimal because the work will take place at night, the Idaho Transportation Department announced.
Crews will remove about 1.5 inches of the asphalt surface and repave it to improve travel conditions for motorists. The streets will remain open during the day, but from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. routes will be reduced to a single lane. Parking might be restricted overnight where the repaving takes place.
The five roads, which are part of Interstate 15 Business Route, are:
• Fourth Avenue (southbound), between Oak Street and the South Fifth/I-15 Interchange; approximately 3.2 miles
• Fifth Avenue (northbound), between South Fifth/I-15 Interchange and Oak Street; approximately 3.2 miles
• Yellowstone Avenue from Oak Street to Alameda Road (one mile)
• Alameda Road from Yellowstone Avenue to the Pocatello Creek Interchange (1.1 miles), and
• U.S. 30, Oak Street to the I-86 West Pocatello Interchange on Gould & Garrett Way, resurfacing and seal coat (five miles)
All five segments are part of a $3.1 million contract awarded to Western Construction Co. of Boise. The projects should be completed by late summer.
Approximately one mile of U.S. 91 (North Main St. in Blackfoot) from Wooten Way to East Airport Road will be widened from to two lanes to five as part of a project that began last month. One lane will remain open during construction, and one-way traffic will be controlled by a temporary signal.
The $2 million project by Mickelson Construction of Blackfoot also includes rebuilding and expanding a railroad crossing. The highway will be closed during the railroad crossing work. Signs will indicate a detour route during the closure.
A bridge rehabilitation project on I-15 between mileposts 22 and 24 also is scheduled for this summer. It includes rebuilding the approaches to the bridges at Colton Lane and Bissell Road. Completion of the $814,000 project by Cannon Builders of Blackfoot is expected this fall.
A chip-seal project on I-15 from the Idaho-Utah border to Malad will start near the end of June and continue through the end of July. The project will place a chip seal and fog coat on both northbound and southbound lanes. Motorists are reminded to slow down and keep a safe distance behind the vehicle in front of them to help prevent windshield damage.
Work continues on construction of an additional Interstate 86 lane between the Chubbuck and Pocatello Creek interchanges. Funding for the $8.1 million project was part of the federal stimulus (American Reinvestment and Recovery Act) program. It also included widening about two miles of Yellowstone Avenue to seven lanes.
Construction on the Interstate 86 interchange near American Falls (Exit 40) began last year and is expected to continue through this fall.
Crews removed the existing bridge over I-86 and replaced it with one that provides an additional three feet of clearance over the interstate. Traffic should be fully restored on Idaho 39 by mid-July, although work on the project will continue into the fall. Western Construction Co. is the contractor for the $6.8 million project.
Work continues on rebuilding the I-15 interchange at McCammon. U.S. 30 traffic over the interstate is using the existing bridge while construction continues on the north (westbound) half of the new structure. When it is finished, traffic will be shifted to the new half and the remainder of the south bridge will be built.
During construction, the speed limit on I-15 at the interchange is reduced to 55 mph. Motorists using the interchange should expect brief delays.
The $6.1 million project by Wadsworth Construction of Draper, Utah, will be completed in 2012.
Construction of the Portneuf River bridges and Topaz Bridge on U.S. 30 east of McCammon and reconstructing the highway segment between them are the last major stages of the GARVEE-funded (Grant Anticipation Revenue Vehicle) project south of Pocatello.
The north half of the Portneuf River bridges is complete and crews now are working on the south half. The highway between the Portneuf and Topaz bridges will receive an additional layer of asphalt before completion.
When the GARVEE projects are finished this year, U.S. 30 will be a four-lane highway from Soda Springs to McCammon, except for a short two-lane segment through Lava Hot Springs.
ITD also will work on several seal coat projects in the region this summer:
- I-15, from Sands Road to the West Blackfoot Interchange (mileposts 87 to 93)
- I-15, between mileposts 93 and 99.5
- U.S. 91 (I-15B) from the south city limits to Bridge Street, and from Bridge Street to Wooten Way in Blackfoot milepost 2.5 to 3.6 on I-15B and milepost 100.7 to 101.7 on U.S. 91
- Chubbuck Road north to the I-15 interchange at Fort hall (mileposts 72 to 79)