11/10/2005
New interchanges open north of Idaho Falls
RIGBY - Motorists heading into Idaho Falls from U.S. 20 Thursday morning were able to access the city via the new Hitt and St. Leon interchanges, the Idaho Transportation Department announced.
The new interchanges, on- and off-ramps, and connector roads opened to traffic late Wednesday afternoon, capping 17 months of construction.
Western Construction of Boise started work on the $19 million project in June 2004 and completed construction 10 days ahead of its contract deadline. Some clean-up and seeding remain to be done, and the road will be seal-coated next summer.
"We'd like to thank the public for their patience," said project engineer Ken Hahn. "Everyone was anxious to get the interchanges open to restore traffic along popular routes into Idaho Falls. Western Construction did a great job and delivered on time and on budget."
Crews pushed Wednesday to get the final safety features installed to open the ramps and connectors.