7/29/2011
Reed Hollinshead
ITD Communication
208-334-8881
reed.hollinshead@itd.idaho.gov
Southwest Idaho highway construction report for July 29-August 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 Interstate 84 between the Cole and Broadway interchanges in Boise.
I-84 drivers now have four eastbound and four westbound lanes, double the capacity. A two-year reconstruction project in this area has included installing new drainage, replacing the original two-lane pavement from 1968, and adding two new lanes in both directions.
The new lanes will relieve congestion on the way to Micron Technology, the Boise Airport, Boise State University and numerous Boise-area businesses.
ITD asks motorists to drive carefully and observe the 55 mph speed limit while crews finish minor tasks over the next few weeks. An overnight detour will be scheduled in late August while the last two sign bridges are installed near the Vista Interchange.
The speed limit will return to 65 mph at the end of summer.
Motorists can expect intermittent lane restrictions on I-84 in the project area from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. on weeknights and from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. on weekends.
Concrete Placing Co. Inc., of Boise, is the contractor on the $35.9 million project.
MERIDIAN - Interstate 84, Ten Mile Interchange construction
The new I-84, Ten Mile Interchange opened to traffic in May 2011. Occasional lane restrictions will continue on Ten Mile Road this summer for landscaping work. The speed limit is 35 mph on Ten Mile Road and 55 mph on I-84.
Westbound I-84 has been reduced to two lanes in this area since early July. Crews are paving the area with permanent concrete. The third lane is expected to re-open by late July or early August.
ITD plans to open a fourth westbound lane between the Meridian and Garrity interchanges by the end of the summer. ITD opened a fourth eastbound lane on July 13.
Idaho Sand & Gravel, of Nampa, is the contractor on this $33.8 million project.
The landscaping work is under a separate $580,000 contract to Franz Witte Landscape Contracting. The day-to-day maintenance of that landscaping system reverts to the city of Meridian.
NAMPA - I-84 widening, Franklin to Garrity
Work is progressing on the project to widen Interstate 84 between the Franklin Boulevard and Garrity Boulevard interchanges in Nampa.
Eastbound I-84 motorists can expect nighttime lane reductions on Friday, Monday and Tuesday (July 29, Aug. 1 and 2) between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. This will allow crews to safely move paving equipment.
Overnight Tuesday (Aug. 2), crews will set girders on the new Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) bridge. Westbound I-84 will be reduced to one lane overnight in the work area. Once girders are in place, crews will begin installing the bridge deck. Construction of two new bridges over the UPRR and Phyllis Canal are necessary to accommodate the additional lanes on I-84.
Construction activity is ongoing at the Garrity eastbound off-ramp and westbound on-ramp.
Motorists can expect ongoing, intermittent nighttime lane closures for both east- and westbound traffic as crews work to complete the project by early summer 2012. All I-84 lanes remain open during the day, and work may be weather dependent.
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 farthest right, and exit at Garrity - never having to merge with interstate traffic.
Following is an update on non-GARVEE state highway construction projects in southwest Idaho.
VARIOUS COUNTIES
Several seal coats on roadway surfaces throughout the southwest Idaho region will be done this summer. The seal coat will extend the life of the roadway and provide greater traction for motorists.
A 28-mile seal coat just finished this week on Idaho 71 from the Snake River Bridge at Brownlee Dam in Hell’s Canyon to the U.S. 95 junction in Cambridge. A 14.5-mile seal coat on Idaho 55, between Zachary Road in McCall and Boulder Creek Bridge in Donnelly, is slated to begin Monday (Aug. 1).
Speed limits will be reduced. Traffic will be controlled by lane closures, lane restrictions or pilot cars. Motorists can expect delays of up to 20 minutes.
Crews will work a 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekday schedule. Crews can only work Monday through Thursday and have to be off the road by noon on Fridays. Crews can’t work on the weekends due to the heavy recreational and tourism interests in that area during the summer months.
Seal coating begins by applying a layer of asphalt, then a cover coat of gravel on the roadway surface. The highway is rolled and traffic allowed on to the roadway to help pack the surface before "brooming" or sweeping to remove excess gravel. All brooming will be done at night on all projects.
A properly applied seal coat can add several years of service to a heavily traveled roadway by sealing the surface and adding roughness for winter traction.
The work is done during the day to allow the heat to help asphalt and rock bond more quickly to the roadway surface, providing a higher-quality finished product.
Snake River Construction, of Kimberly, is the contractor on this $700,000 project.
In August, seal coats are also planned for the Notus, Parma, Murphy and Nampa areas under a separate contract.
BOISE COUNTY
Near Banks – Road & Bridge project
The work on the South Fork Payette River Bridge on Idaho 55 near Banks finished just prior to Memorial Day. Paving from Banks south is under way.
The deck of the bridge received a silica fume treatment to prevent further corrosion and penetration by water and salts.
With paving under way, traffic is reduced to one lane. Pilot cars and flaggers direct traffic. The speed limit is reduced to 35 mph. This is because guardrail has been removed to accommodate the roadwork. Without the guardrail, the highway speed has to be reduced to ensure drivers’ safety.
The contractor is paving from south to north. There are traffic delays of about 15 minutes to get through the paving operation. Paving is about three-quarters finished and is expected to be complete in the second week of August. Crews are also working on guardrail upgrades, rumble-strip installation and work on the highway shoulders.
The pavement preservation project involves approximately 14 miles of roadway from just north of Horseshoe Bend at the Payette River Bridge north to about two miles north of the Idaho 55 and Banks-to-Lowman road intersection. About 1.8 inches of new pavement will be applied in a thin-lift paving procedure.
Crews are working from about 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 7 a.m. to noon on Fridays. They have to be off the road by noon on Fridays, and no work is allowed until Monday morning.
Knife River Corp., of Boise, is the contractor on this $2.6 million project.
East of Boise - Mores Creek Bridge upgrade
A project to update the Mores Creek Bridge (commonly known as the High Bridge) on Idaho 21 east of Boise is under way.
During this work, the bridge deck and joints will be rehabilitated and the bridge parapet and railing replaced. Work on the foundation during the low-water winter period will include a retaining wall, rock anchoring, slope armoring, and seismic retrofit. Portions of the structural steel will be painted along with other repairs on the structure.
Traffic across the bridge is controlled by signals at either end, with only one direction allowed to pass through at a time. Under normal conditions, the delays are expected to be 15 to 45 minutes in length. In addition, a nine-foot width restriction will be in effect.
Crews have finished stabilization at the bridge foundation for this year. The water level rose sooner than normal, so crews will have to complete the foundation work during the next water draw-down period this fall, sometime after Labor Day.
In the meantime, work will continue above water level.
Work remains in a one-lane configuration.
RSCI, of Meridian, is the contractor on the $2.8 million project.
NEAR LOWMAN – Fish-passage project
A fish-passage project east of Lowman began June 15 and will continue through early December.
The project includes replacing the existing culvert near milepost 83 (Lowman is at milepost 72) with a short-span bridge, followed by stream rehabilitation.
This week, the contractor began forming the abutment on the south side of the bridge. Crews also pre-drilled into bedrock for the pile driving at abutment 2. Once finished, the contractor will start forming abutments on the north side.
The bridge is in a one-lane configuration with a temporary signal controlling traffic until December.
Crews anticipate working a Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. schedule.
This project is being funded through the U.S. Forest Service.
Cannon Builders Inc., of Blackfoot, is the contractor on this $1.2 million project.
Idaho 21, Warm Spring Creek to Canyon Creek
A project to repair the bridge decks on the Warm Springs Creek Bridge and Canyon Creek Bridge on Idaho 21, about 20 miles northeast of Lowman, and do pavement preservation work on the six miles between the bridges began July 6 and will continue through August.
Crews will apply a double seal coat to the roadway surface to address pavement deficiencies from milepost 91.5 to 97.5. The project also will improve subsurface drainage, steep slopes that have sloughed off and substandard guardrail. The work will include guardrail-end treatments, bridge-rail retrofit and bridge-deck rehabilitation.
Depending on the work being performed, three different modes of traffic control will be used:
- A pilot car and flaggers will be used for the seal coating, which should take about two weeks;
– A temporary traffic signal will be used for trench drain work and retaining wall work on the bridges; and
– Flagging will be used for the bridge rail work on the bridges.
This week the contractor continued work on the three bridge-deck repairs by removing existing asphalt on the decks and patching deteriorated areas. Crews also began work on retaining walls and trench drains.
This week, the contractor continued work on the retaining walls and trench drains. This work will continue next week. Flaggers will direct traffic at the location of the trench-drain work, and traffic signals are controlling traffic at the site of the retaining-wall construction.
Knife River, of Boise, is the contractor on the $1.25 million project.
GEM COUNTY
SOUTH OF EMMETT – Idaho 16, Willow Creek Bridge replacement
?The two-lane bridge north of Firebird Raceway on Idaho 16 is being replaced with a wider, three-lane structure. The project started June 20 and is expected to finish in late November. ??The bridge replacement, about eight miles south of Emmett at milepost 6.3, will result in a significantly wider bridge - 54 feet wide compared to the current 36-foot width. It also will be slightly longer - 108 feet instead of the current 90 feet. The new bridge will be a single-span structure.
The speed limit will be reduced to 35 mph during construction. Traffic will be shifted but one lane each way will be maintained. Work will begin on the east half of the bridge.
Crews will use traffic drums, temporary guardrail and striping, and normal traffic-control signing. A portable message sign will be installed to alert drivers to the upcoming project a week prior to the beginning of construction. ??Traffic was switched over to the temporary diversion for southbound traffic on July 18. The contractor will demolish the east half of the existing bridge late this week or early next week.
The entire project is expected to be complete in November.
In addition to replacing the bridge, built in 1959, the project will require approach work to accommodate the new width of the structure and construction of a temporary detour on the west side of the existing bridge to handle southbound Idaho 16 commuter traffic.
The center lane on the new bridge will transition to match up with the current center turn lane south of the bridge, at the intersection of Chapparal Lane. North of the bridge, the road will be tapered from three lanes to match the existing two-lane configuration.
The project will improve the poor condition of the bridge substructure.
Concrete Placing Co., of Boise, is the contractor on this $1.1 million project.
ELMORE COUNTY
EAST OF BOISE – I-84 repair
A project to correct severe pavement deficiencies on Interstate 84's eastbound lanes between Boise and Mountain Home began July 18, and will finish in early December. For now, traffic impacts will be minimal.
The project begins near milepost 70 (the Stage Stop and Mayfield Road Interchange) and extends east of the Simco Road Interchange to milepost 80.2.
The speed limit drops to 55 mph in the area when workers are present while a series of crossovers are prepared for traffic. Currently, work is only conducted during daylight hours. The lane closure will be removed after evening work each day and the speed limit restored to 75 mph.
In late August, eastbound traffic will be shifted and will share the westbound travel lanes during the work in an opposing one-lane configuration. The ramps at exits 71 (Stage Stop) and 74 (Simco Road) also will be repaired. The speed limit will be reduced to 35 mph for ramp traffic.
That stretch of I-84 was constructed in 1959. The road received an overlay in 1961, another overlay in 1989, and seal coats in 1986 and 2002. ITD maintenance crews did some blade patching (a maintenance technique for repairing an asphalt surface) last fall to extend the roadway use until a more permanent fix could be applied by this project.
Signs were installed last fall asking truck drivers to move left to preserve pavement in the right lanes.
The top two inches of existing pavement will be removed and 10 inches of concrete placed as new travel surface. The eastbound on- and off-ramps at the Mayfield and Simco interchanges also will be resurfaced.
During the early stages of construction, intermittent lane closures might be required but not at night or for extended periods.
Crews have adopted an aggressive schedule, working Mondays through Saturdays.
Concrete Placing Co., of Boise, is the contractor on this $10.4 million project.
I-84 slab repair, near Glenns Ferry
A project is now under way to repair deteriorating concrete slabs on the east- and westbound lanes of Interstate 84 near Glenns Ferry. The project is expected to finish in late September.
This pavement maintenance project will extend from milepost 114 (east Hammett) east to Glenns Ferry, a distance of about seven miles. The project began July 6.
Several badly damaged concrete slabs in that stretch will be removed and replaced. Repairs also will include resealing pavement joints, repairing pavement cracks and chips, and grinding portions from the existing pavement surface.
Crews will work Monday through Saturday. The speed limit will drop to 65 mph in the overall construction zone, and to 45 where workers are present.
Interstate Improvement Inc., of Faribault, Minn, is the contractor on this $2.6 million project.
OWYHEE COUNTY
Idaho 78 and Idaho 51 resurfacing
A pair of resurfacing projects on rural sections of Idaho 51 and Idaho 78 began July 11.
A thin-lift overlay will be added to the pavement surface on 32 miles of rural highway. The resurfacing is expected to finish in about two months.
Work began first on Idaho 78 and is proceeding toward the junction with Idaho 51, then will move to Idaho 51 from milepost 60 to the Snake River Bridge. The work is necessary to correct cracking and roughness, and to preserve the existing highway system.
Crews will be working 10-hour days, six days per week. Flaggers and pilot cars will be used for traffic control.
On Idaho 78, crews replaced a leaking irrigation pipe at milepost 61.1 and started paving at milepost 60. They expect to finish with Idaho 78 this week and will immediately start on Idaho 51, from milepost 70 (the junction with Idaho 78) and head north in the southbound lane until they reach the Snake River Bridge. Traffic will be delayed and will be controlled by flaggers and a pilot car.
Idaho Sand & Gravel Co., of Nampa, is the contractor on this $3.4 million 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 under way. It is expected to take about two years to complete, finishing in summer 2012.
Crews are replacing 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.
The first two bridge-deck sections have been completed, leaving one-third of the deck in the center to be completed. Parapet has been completed on the south section of the new deck. Deck formwork construction is in progress for the middle section of deck. Granular subbase is almost complete for the new road. The approach slab on the south end of the bridge is completed, and is being constructed for the north end of the bridge.
JC Constructors Inc., of Meridian, is the contractor for this $6.17 million project.
VALLEY COUNTY
Cascade North City Limits to Donnelly – resurfacing
A project to provide an overlay on about 15 miles of Idaho 55, from the north city limits of Cascade to Donnelly, began June 27. The work is expected to finish by late summer.
This thin-lift overlay pavement preservation project from milepost 116 to 131 will add about two inches of new pavement to the existing surface. Shoulder grading and replacement is finished on a rusted and collapsing culvert.
There should be no speed reduction at this time. Once paving work begins, the speed limit will be 45 mph just in the work area. Once paving starts, traffic will be escorted through the work area. A pilot car will be used in conjunction with flaggers at each end of the work area to hold traffic. The contractor started leveling the roadbed July 25.
Once paving is complete, the speed limit will remain 45 mph until permanent pavement markings are complete.
The new asphalt added to the traveling surface will extend the life of the roadway and provide better traction for vehicles.
Work will be done from about 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., with no weekend work and the crew off the roadway by noon on Fridays to accommodate heavy recreational and tourist traffic.
Valley Paving & Asphalt Inc., of Cottonwood, is the contractor on this $2 million project.
Work on shoulder grading is complete. Two pilot cars will be operating to minimize construction delays. The contractor is crushing rock for use in the project, and paving could begin next week.