3/8/2013
Reed Hollinshead
ITD Communication
208-334-8881
reed.hollinshead@itd.idaho.gov
ITD will host event for local media Monday on plans to replace Meridian, Broadway and Gowen interchanges
BOISE - The Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) is developing plans to replace three interchanges on Interstate 84 – Meridian Road, Broadway Avenue and Gowen Road – and add a third lane to the interstate between the Broadway and Gowen exits. These projects will improve safety and reduce congestion.
Media representatives are invited to attend an event to learn more about the I-84 interchange replacement projects. The media event will be held Monday (March 11) from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Reporters will be able to take tours of the Meridian, Broadway and Gowen interchanges and ITD staff will be available for interviews.
ITD will replace the Broadway and Meridian interchanges with a Single-Point Urban Interchange (SPUI) design, and a new diamond interchange will replace the current interchange at Gowen Road. Longer, wider ramps will be built at all three interchanges to allow traffic more room to merge on and off the interstate. Curb, gutter, sidewalk and bicycle lanes also will be added at all three interchanges to safely accommodate pedestrians and bicyclists.
The projects will be funded through the GARVEE Program. The GARVEE program began in 2006 and has allowed ITD to complete $777 million of transportation improvements to date. Last year, the program identified $80 million in savings and the Idaho Transportation Board elected to apply those savings to more transportation projects. The $80 million in GARVEE savings is being paired with $44 million of federal formula funds for a total of $124 million of improvements on I-84.
For more information about this project visit http://www.itd.idaho.gov/projects/garvee.
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NOTE TO EDITORS: If you would like to attend ITD’s media event but have not yet RSVP’d, please call or email Adam Rush by 4 p.m. on Friday, March 8, 334-8119 or 830-5141 or adam.rush@itd.idaho.gov.
Video clips are available for media on the department's FTP site. To access the clips, please visit ftp1.idaho.gov, and use User Name itdcommu and password W39gy7D2. The files are named "Funding.mp4", "Cost Savings.mp4", and "Safety Capacity Mobility.mp4".