5/4/2012
Three companion highway projects to begin on Idaho 162 near Nezperce
LEWISTON - The first of three separate but contiguous highway projects near Nezperce is scheduled to begin next week on Idaho 162, the Idaho Transportation Department announced.
Knife River Corp., of Boise, will begin the Nezperce to Four Corners project Monday (May 7). The eight-mile project includes repairs of soft spots on Idaho 162, crack sealing, guardrail replacement (including Lawyer’s Canyon Bridge) and a finishing seal coat that is scheduled to begin in early July.
The project begins at Nezperce and extends eight miles to Four Corners, where the highway intersects with two Idaho County roads near milepost 8.
Motorists should expect lane closures with flaggers and pilot cars and seal-coat conditions. Use appropriate caution while traveling through the work zone.
Construction on the $1.7 million project should be finished in July.
A companion project from Four Corners (milepost 8) to milepost 13 on Idaho 162 is scheduled to begin June 4. It includes slope excavations near the highway, culvert replacement, construction of gabion retaining walls, a full-depth reclamation of existing highway material and an asphalt overlay.
Flaggers and pilot cars will control traffic through the project.
An accelerated schedule will be used on the first part of the project. Overall completion is targeted for late September. Cost of the project is $4.3 million.
The last of the three projects will involve soft spot repairs, shoulder enhancement, recycling of existing material, guardrail replacement and an asphalt overlay between mileposts 15 and 23. It also includes reconstruction of the junction of Idaho 162 and Idaho 64.
Work on the $2.4 million project is expected to begin June 25 and continue to mid-September. Lane closures and traffic control by flaggers and pilot cars will be required.
Knife River crews expect to work 10-hour shifts, Mondays through Fridays, on all three projects. Construction meetings, which are open to the public, are scheduled every Thursday at 9 a.m. through September at the Nezperce Community Center.
Motorists should anticipate delays while traveling through the work area. ITD urges motorists to drive with caution and adhere to posted workzone speed limits and the directions of traffic flaggers.
For more information about the projects, contact project engineer Bob Schumacher in Lewiston at 799-5090.