6/29/2012
Reed Hollinshead
ITD Communication
208-334-8881
reed.hollinshead@itd.idaho.gov
Southwest Idaho highway construction report for June 29-July 6
BOISE - The following projects in southwest Idaho are now under way or will begin soon.
ADA COUNTY
BOISE - Idaho 16 Extension
Work is under way for the first phase of the extension of Idaho 16. Crews are working on access roads, temporary fencing and irrigation structures.
Crews will connect State Street to Chinden Boulevard, including a new bridge over the Boise River.
Concrete Placing Co. Inc., of Boise, is the contractor on this $19.4 million project.
ADA COUNTY
BOISE – Connector resurfacing
A preventative maintenance project is scheduled for this summer on the Connector (I-184) in Boise. A pre-construction conference, which will supply details on the work, is planned for July 11. Work is expected to be finished by late fall.
For about five miles, from the Flying Wye to 13th Street, crews will re-seal joints and grind off the concrete surface to increase skid resistance. The project will finish in August.
Crews will adhere to a 10 p.m.-to-5 a.m. schedule, working overnight in order to minimize traffic interference. Work will not be allowed on the nights of Boise State University home football games.
A temporary closure of the ramps will be necessary for the contractor to properly grind and re-seal in those areas.
Weekend work is not expected but is not prohibited if necessary.
At least one lane will be maintained during the work, with the speed limit reduced to 45 mph in the construction zone.
Penhall Corporation, of Anaheim, Calif., is the contractor on this $919, 000 project.
ADA COUNTY
MERIDIAN - Eagle Road resurfacing and medians
Work started June 10 on this project, which will resurface Idaho 55 from Fairview Avenue in Meridian to State Street in Eagle, and install raised medians from Franklin to Oakhampton Drive, one-half mile north of Chinden Boulevard.
Crews will install raised medians between Franklin Road and River Valley Street, an area of 1.5 miles.
The work will take place overnight between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. Access to businesses and residences will be kept open except for brief closures when crews are paving right at those approaches or driveways.
These improvements will be completed by end of July.
Crews are also installing 11 new pedestrian sidewalk ramps in this section, and 90 overall in the entire project.
ITD expects to begin repaving the roadway from Fairview Ave. to River Valley Street the week of July 8.
The second segment, River Valley Street to Oakhampton Drive, will begin in late July and last until late September.
Idaho Sand & Gravel Co., of Nampa, is the contractor on this $4.7 million project.
ADA, ELMORE COUNTY
Repair of seven bridge decks in Ada and Elmore counties
The bridge decks on seven bridges from Boise through Mountain Home and to the east will be repaired and resurfaced in a project that began in early May and will finish in mid-November.
Work on these bridges/overpasses is done, and they have no restrictions:
- The overpass at the milepost 99 Interchange, (Bennett Mtn. Road).
- I-84 at the Exit 95 Interchange structure.
- The 18th Street overpass, (I-84 milepost 94.2).
- The Eisenman Interchange at I-84, milepost 59.7.
- U.S. 20 /American Legion Blvd. at Mtn. Home.
Work is under way on these structures:
- The Canyon Creek Road overpass (I-84, milepost 92.4) and Hammett Interchange overpass (milepost 112) have been reduced to a single lane with different width restrictions for bridge deck resurfacing.
Joint repairs, removing and resurfacing the deck will be conducted using temporary stop lights. Drivers can expect up to 2-minute 20-second delays to allow traffic lights to cycle.
This work on the Canyon Creek structure will be ongoing until approximately July 13, and on the Hammett structure through July 20.
Concrete Placing Co. Inc., of Boise, is the apparent low bidder on the $1.72 million repairs.
BOISE COUNTY
BANKS – Resurfacing
Preliminary work is under way to realign a half-mile section of Idaho 55 further toward the river in preparation for a 10.5-mile resurfacing north of Banks.
The initial work on the spot realignment, about four miles north of Banks (near milepost 82.5), will be done during daytime hours. It is a section of roadway frequently impacted by mud and rockslides.
Once the bigger overlay project begins a few weeks later, most of the paving will be overnight from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m., with no work on the weekends (except Sunday nights).
The project will extend from Banks north to the Boise National Forest boundary near milepost 91.??
CANYON COUNTY
U.S. 95 Parma-Wilder resurfacing
Paving on a stretch of U.S. 95 from the south city limits of Wilder to the south city limits of Parma is complete, and resurfacing work will begin after the holiday from the north side of Parma to the junction with Interstate 84.
This will be constructed starting in mid-July 2012, and finishing in mid-August.
• 13.2 miles of U.S. 95, from Parma north city limits to Jct. I-84
• 1.6 miles of U.S. 20/26, from Snake River Bridge to Jct. U.S. 95
In two-lane sections, at least one lane will remain open at all times. In three- or four-lane segments, at least two lanes will remain open.
Work on nights or weekends is not expected, but is not prohibited if needed.??Idaho Sand & Gravel Co., of Nampa, is the contractor on this $5.7 million project.
ELMORE COUNTY
I-84 repair, Mountain Home to Hammett
A 25-mile pavement maintenance and repair project on Interstate 84 from Mountain Home east to Hammett is now under way.
The contractor will not be working on July 3, 4 and 5. Crews anticipate working July 2 and 6, although if traffic is too heavy they intend to suspend operations and remove all lane closures. The entire project is expected to finish by mid-July.
Crews are working a Monday-Friday schedule unless Saturday work is needed to stay on schedule.
The project, on both sides of the highway, involves the replacement of several joint seals, extensive crack sealing and the replacement of deteriorated concrete slabs. It also involves the application of sealant to highway shoulders to protect the surface against weather and water damage and prevent additional cracking.
Typically one lane will be closed in the immediate project area, which will be limited to about a half-mile at a time. In some areas of slab replacement, lanes will remain closed longer. The lane closures will vary in length based on the contractor’s progress.
During daylight hours when workers are present and lane closures are in effect, the speed limit will be reduced to 45 mph. During other construction times, the speed limit will be 65 mph. The posted speed will return to 75 mph when work is not being conducted (nights and weekends).
A-Core of Idaho, of Boise, is the contractor on the $2.54 million project.
GEM COUNTY
EMMETT - Idaho 16, SH 44 to Substation Road
A road, bridge and guardrail-repair project for a 12.5–mile stretch of Idaho 16 from just north of its junction with Idaho 44 to Emmett’s Substation Road is under way. The project is expected to finish in late July.
Crews will work an overnight schedule. The contractor plans to work Monday through Thursday nights on paving, with some non-paving work occurring during the day (8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m.) as necessary.
Occasional lane closures may occur during daytime hours, Monday through Friday, between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Work to repave approaches to county and private roads and private approaches will occur on Sunday evening from 5 p.m. Sunday evening (July 1) to 6 a.m. Monday morning. Lane closures will be in effect, with expected delays of up to 15 minutes.
Work will be completed in Phase Two, between milepost 4.25 and 8.25, and will begin in Phase Three, between milepost 8.25 and Substation Road in Emmett on Monday, July 2.
As work is completed, the contractor will reduce the overall length of the work zone behind them.
Aside from morning and evening rush-hour commutes, traffic will be limited to one lane, with a speed-limit reduction. The speed limit will be reduced by 10 mph in the work-zone segment.
The section of road was built in 1959 and 1966. An overlay was performed in 1996 on the first nine miles, followed by a CRABS (Cement Recycled Asphalt Base Stabilization) resurfacing project in 1998 on the northern end.
When crews transition to repair work on the Black Canyon Irrigation Canal bridge, a lane closure will be required for 13 calendar days, with a temporary signal used to guide traffic.
Work on the bridge, located at approximately milepost 12, will include waterproofing, sealing and replacing joints, and removing and replacing portions of the concrete deck. Approaches to the bridge and transitions to surrounding roads will be adjusted to match the new grade of the road. Crews also are replacing 8,500 feet of substandard guardrail throughout the project.
Central Paving Co. Inc., of Boise, is the contractor on this $2.5 million project.
PAYETTE COUNTY
FRUITLAND – U.S. 95/I-84 Exit 3 Overpass repair
Work is under way to resurface and repair the half-century-old U.S. 95 interchange overpass spanning I-84 at Exit 3 near Fruitland. The project is expected to finish in June.
The bridge deck and foundation for this bridge are considered to be in fair condition, with the superstructure in good condition.
The concrete deck will be overlayed and pier caps and columns patched in this project to extend the life of the bridge, built in 1960. The bridge railing will also be replaced.
Asphalt paving work will be performed to tie the bridge approaches into the road on each end of the bridge. The overlay for two lanes of the bridge has been completed. The hydro-demolition of the last lane is now complete, with the overlay on the final section scheduled for early July. Repair work continues on the columns, piers and girders. Paving of the approaches will occur later in July.
Cannon Builders Inc., of Blackfoot, is the contractor for this $763,000 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 finish in mid-September 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.
There is one section of bridge deck left to complete, along with parapet. Crews are stripping forms under the bridge deck. Roadwork north and south of the bridge in the southbound lanes continues.
JC Constructors Inc., of Meridian, is the contractor for this $6.17 million project.
VALLEY COUNTY
CASCADE – Bridge and Roadwork
A replacement of the North Fork Payette River Bridge in downtown Cascade will begin in mid-July, with two miles of pavement resurfacing on Idaho 55 in town to begin a few weeks later. The roadwork is expected to finish in late August, while the bridge work will extend into summer 2013.
"There may be significant impacts to drivers, both those in town and those just passing through," said Jayme Coonce, ITD project manager. "We'll make every effort to keep delays and inconveniences at a minimum but with work of this magnitude, some level of interruption is unavoidable."
ROADWORK: The existing roadway is in very poor condition, with cracking and potholing. The resurfacing will repair these deficiencies and extend the life of the highway section.??The project extends from milepost 114-116 (from south of the bridge to the north end).
A CRABS (Cement Recycled Asphalt Base Stabilization) resurfacing method will be used on the section north and south. CRABS involves grinding the existing roadway down to the gravel base, then adding cement to the old asphalt. This process extends the life of the roadway. A complete reconstruction will be done on the section through the town's center.
Originally, the section of gravel road was paved over in 1937. It was reconstructed in 1955, followed by an overlay in 1975. Seal coats were placed in 1989 and 1993. Minor widening was done in 1996.
Pedestrian ramps also will be upgraded to meet ADA standards in this project. The city of Cascade also will replace some pipes in this project.
In town, the three through lanes will be reduced to one during the roadwork portion of this project.
Flaggers will be used to guide traffic, and speed limits could be reduced in the work zone. While crews are rebuilding intersections, there will be detours on the local roads and side streets in place leading to an open intersection. The open intersection will change as the project progresses. Traffic control will be coordinated with emergency services.
No parking will be allowed on Idaho 55 within the active work zone, but alternate parking will be available on the side streets.
Reasonable access to businesses will be maintained during business working hours.
No work is expected on nights or weekends, but is not prohibited if needed. From noon Friday to 7 a.m. Monday, one lane of traffic in each direction will be kept open.
In addition, no work will take place north of Patterson Street until after July 28 to accommodate the Four Summit Bike Challenge, and no work will interfere with traffic flow during the Valley County Fair (Aug. 6-11).
C & A Paving, of Boise, is the contractor on this $1.86 million project.
BRIDGE WORK: Starting at about the same time in mid-July, a one-year project will begin that will eventually replace the old (built in 1933), narrow, width-restricted bridge with one more than twice as wide.
The existing bridge is 24 feet wide, and will be replaced with a 60-foot wide, 393-foot long, three-span bridge. The new bridge will have two 12-foot lanes, two 11-foot shoulders and a 14-foot median.
In addition, a paved extension will be constructed to the dirt shared-use path under the bridge on the north side of the river that provides access from both sides of the bridge to the new riverside park.
In the first stage, two-thirds of the new bridge will be built to the west of the existing structure. Traffic will be maintained on the existing bridge through this first stage of bridge work, and then will be routed to the new section of bridge for the remaining work as the old bridge is demolished. There will be traffic interruptions while the new roadway section leading to the new bridge is built.
Flaggers will be used if lane restrictions are required. From Monday through Thursday, work that limits drivers to one lane in each direction is only allowed between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Two lanes will be maintained between noon Friday and noon Monday. A river safety and navigation plan will be in place for recreationists that use this section of the river.
Wadsworth Brothers Construction Co. Inc., of Draper, Utah, is the apparent low bidder on this $4.83 million project.