9/23/2011
Reed Hollinshead
ITD Communication
208-334-8881
reed.hollinshead@itd.idaho.gov
Southwest Idaho highway construction report for Sept. 23-30
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
I-84 drivers now have four eastbound and four westbound lanes, double the pre-construction capacity. The 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 speed limit has returned to 65 mph for the first time since construction started in late 2009.
Overhead signs will be placed this fall near the Vista Interchange, completing the project.
Concrete Placing Co. Inc., of Boise, is the contractor on the $35.9 million project.
NAMPA - I-84 widening, Franklin to Garrity
The Interstate 84 eastbound on-ramp at Nampa's Franklin Boulevard is closed. The ramp will remain closed until early 2012, when the project to widen I-84 between the Franklin and Garrity interchanges is complete.
Motorists are advised to use an alternate route for eastbound interstate access, such as the Northside or Garrity interchange – each is approximately one mile from the Franklin interchange. Drivers are urged to allow extra time as they adjust to the new route.
The temporary on-ramp length and configuration is constrained by its proximity to the Phyllis Canal. However, the permanent on-ramp will have no constraints - it will extend on a new bridge over the Phyllis Canal and provide for a longer merging distance with I-84 traffic.
Crews are not permitted to begin construction on the bridge until after irrigation season and the canal is dry, which could be late October or early November. Some preliminary work outside of the canal area is under way to prepare for the eventual bridge construction.
In mid-October, a one-night I-84 detour between the Franklin and Garrity interchanges will be in place from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. The detour will allow crews to install new overhead sign structures. Traffic will be directed through a detour route.
Motorists may experience other intermittent nighttime lane reductions on I-84. All lanes remain open during the day, and work may be weather dependent.
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 farthest right lane, and exit at Garrity - never having to merge with interstate traffic.
Concrete Placing Company, of Boise, is the contractor on this $22.2 million project.
Following is an update on non-GARVEE state highway construction projects in southwest Idaho.
ADA COUNTY
BOISE – Crack repair between Cole and Orchard
Drivers are advised that the two right-hand lanes of eastbound I-84 between the Cole and Orchard interchanges will be closed Tuesday (Sept. 27) as Idaho Transportation Department maintenance crews repair cracking in the road surface.
Crews will work from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. to minimize interference with morning and evening commuter traffic. Message boards and signs will be placed in advance of the project to alert motorists.
BOISE COUNTY
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. The project should be done in February 2012.
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.
Traffic was switched to the smaller east side of the bridge Aug. 31, which also narrowed the roadway to 11 feet. There will be 15-minute closures for nighttime concrete paving of the bridge deck intermittently between now and Oct. 14.
Work remains in a one-lane configuration.
Painting is virtually complete. The bridge deck is removed on the west side and crews are preparing for concrete placements next week.
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 bridge is in a one-lane configuration using a traffic signal until December. This week, the contractor set guardrail on phase 1 of the bridge. He also backfilled and paved the bridge approaches. Next week, crews will switch traffic onto the new half of the bridge and begin excavation for phase 2.
The project includes replacing the existing culvert near milepost 83 (Lowman is at milepost 72) with a short-span bridge, followed by stream rehabilitation.
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.
GEM COUNTY
SOUTH OF EMMETT – Idaho 16, Willow Creek Bridge replacement
Traffic will be switched Tuesday (Sept. 27) as crews continue the replacement of the Willow Creek Bridge on Idaho 16 south of town.
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 speed limit is reduced to 35 mph during construction. Width restrictions of 11 feet will remain in place.
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 switch prior to that work.
The bridge replacement, 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.??In addition to replacing the bridge, built in 1959, 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.
Concrete Placing Co., of Boise, is the contractor on this $1.1 million project.
ELMORE COUNTY
EAST OF BOISE – I-84 repair
In the ongoing project to correct severe pavement deficiencies between Boise and Mountain Home, all traffic has been diverted to the westbound side of I-84, (traffic is in a single lane each way) and will remain that way until approximately the first of December.
Traffic speeds have been modified to address congestion areas at the Mayfield and Simco interchanges. Traffic speed remains posted at 45 mph at each end of the project for detouring traffic. From milepost 70 to 74.5 speed limits have been changed to 55 mph. From milepost 74.5 to 80 (moving farther east of Boise toward Mountain Home) the posted speed is 65 mph.
Eastbound traffic has a narrow shoulder with a width restriction of 16 feet. Westbound traffic has a wider shoulder that allows for wider loads to pass unencumbered.
Ramps have been constructed for traffic at the Mayfield Interchange (milepost 71) and the Simco Interchange (milepost 74), with a posted exit speed of 35 mph.
The overall project begins near milepost 70 (the Stage Stop and Mayfield Road Interchange) and extends east of the Simco Road Interchange to milepost 82.2. The project will finish in early December.
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
Project work has resumed to repair deteriorating concrete slabs on the east- and westbound lanes of Interstate 84 near Glenns Ferry. It is expected to finish in mid-October.??Crews have ground the eastbound passing lane for greater surface smoothness from milepost 114 to 121, and have turned to work on the westbound passing lane back toward milepost 114. Crews have also begun cleaning and resealing joints in the eastbound passing lane at milepost 114, working east.
The passing lane in both directions is restricted to a single lane for different operations. Traffic speed is posted at 45 mph in the lane closure areas.
This pavement maintenance project will extend from milepost 114 east from Hammett to Glenns Ferry, a distance of about seven miles.
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 is 65 mph from milepost 114 to 122 and 45 mph when lane closures are in operation.
Interstate Improvement Inc., of Faribault, Minn., is the contractor on this $2.6 million project.
OWYHEE COUNTY
Grasmere north – Idaho 51 resurfacing
About 21 miles of rural Idaho 51 from Grasmere north is being resurfaced in a project that began Aug. 15. The project will likely extend into mid-October.
The resurfacing will go from milepost 34 to 55 at Broken Wagon Flat Road. A cold in-place recycling technique will be used on part of the route, during which crews break up a layer of old pavement and add additional oil to restore flexibility.
The highway surface is then shaped and compacted, and overlayed with a top layer of new pavement. This is primarily used on medium- or low-volume roads. A standard overlay will be used on the section from Grasmere north for the first 14 miles.
The speed limit is reduced to 45 mph in the work area.
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 deck is now complete. Crews are reconstructing Alden Road, and have begun preparing the slopes for topsoil.
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 in early October.
This thin-lift overlay pavement preservation project from milepost 116 to 131 will add about two inches of new pavement to the existing surface.
The speed limit is back up to normal levels. There will be minor delays, as the contractor has begun work on driveway approaches.
Crews will be on and off the project until the end of September due to other contract obligations.
The speed limit is 45 mph in the work area. A pilot car will be used in conjunction with flaggers at each end of the work area to hold traffic.
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 7 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.