1/30/2012
Bridge work highlights 2012 construction season in south-central Idaho
SHOSHONE – Even as winter keeps a firm grip on southern Idaho, drivers can again look forward to the warmer temperatures and the highway construction season. With some similarities to recent years, the 2012 construction season will be dominated by one type of work throughout the region – bridge maintenance.
The Idaho Transportation Department is prepared to complete bridge maintenance, repairs and deck rehabilitation to 34 bridges in the Magic Valley. With more than half of these bridge projects taking place along Interstate 84, there will be minimal lane closures and negative impact to local drivers. However, a few projects will be placed at the forefront of drivers’ daily commutes.
Of those, much attention will be on a project to repair the driving surface of the Perrine Bridge which will reduce the roadway to two lanes for nearly a month. The project will address pedestrian railing and other bridge maintenance items. Bridge projects will take place at I-84 in both Burley and Jerome.
Roadway maintenance and preservation will also be a common sight this summer with a handful of resurfacing projects and nearly 150 miles of roadway receiving chip-seal coats or micro-seal coats by the end of the year. The seal-coat sections will also include portions of U.S. 93 near Twin Falls and will complete 2011 projects between Hailey and Ketchum, north of Galena Summit and on I-84 in eastern Cassia County.
Much attention will be paid to a pair of major construction projects in southern Twin Falls County and north from Shoshone. The project to rehabilitate U.S. 93 from milepost 5.5 to near milepost 18 north of Rogerson will slow traffic nearly all summer. But traffic on Idaho 75 for about eight miles north of Shoshone will have a little easier time, as two lanes will remain open during the year-long construction project.
Finally, drivers should watch for a variety of projects to upgrade signs, roadway striping and the construction of a new traffic signal at the intersection of Main Street and Tiger Drive in Jerome.
Throughout the various construction projects, drivers are reminded to be cautious when traveling through a construction zone, watch for workers and equipment, and be patient with the workers and other drivers. For more roadwork information and a full list of bridge locations, go to the ITD-District Four projects website at www.itd.idaho.gov/projects/D4/.
2012 PROJECTS
I-84 King Hill to Bliss seal coat, Elmore/Gooding Counties
Burley to Jct. I-86 seal coat, Minidoka/Cassia Counties
Interchange 228 to milepost 239, Cassia County
Sign upgrades, Jerome/Minidoka/Cassia Counties
Sweetzer to Cassia County Line seal coat, Cassia County
U.S. 20 Poison Creek to milepost 181.1, Blaine County
U.S. 93 Milepost 5.5 to Deep Creek, Twin Falls County
Twin Falls Alternate Route seal coat, Twin Falls County
Idaho 25 Tiger Drive signal installation, Jerome County
X Canal Drain, Jerome County
100 East Road to Jct. I-84, Minidoka/Cassia Counties
Idaho 75 Shoshone North, Lincoln County
Jct. U.S. 20 to milepost 105
Hailey to Ketchum microseal, Blaine County
Frenchman Creek to Stanley seal coat, Blaine/Custer Counties
Districtwide seal coats include:
U.S. 20 Milepost 130 to Camas County
Gannett Road to Silver Creek
U.S. 30 Hagerman, Idaho Street
Kimberly Road, Cemetery to 3400 E.
U.S. 93 Twin Falls, Falls to Pole Line
Idaho 24 East of Shoshone
Idaho 25 Jerome, Main Street
Idaho 27 Burley, Overland Road
Idaho 46 Buhl to Snake River
South of I-84
North of Wendell
Idaho 74 U.S. 93 to Twin Falls
Idaho 77 South of Albion