5/17/2013
Reed Hollinshead
ITD Communication
208-334-8881
reed.hollinshead@itd.idaho.gov
ITD crews flattening I-84 median, reducing roadside distractions on Idaho 55 to improve safety
BOISE - Improving safety does not always mean widening a roadway, adjusting the speed limit or installing a traffic signal. Along two critical highway corridors this summer - on Interstate 84 east of Boise and on Idaho 55, about three miles north of Donnelly - Idaho Transportation Department crews will take other measures to safeguard drivers.
The five-mile stretch of I-84 between the East Boise Port of Entry and the Mayfield exit/Stage Stop (Exit 71) is home to numerous basalt rock outcroppings in the median that contribute to crashes each winter. In the last five years, there have been 95 crashes in that stretch of highway, involving 245 people.
This summer, ITD crews will use explosives to blast away those outcroppings and level the median. Dirt and gravel harvested during the blasting will be used to fill in a few depressions or holes in the median that also create a safety issue.
Crews will also remove two old homestead structures along the roadside at the Paddy Flat maintenance shed halfway between McCall and Cascade on Idaho 55. The two structures – an old house and a garage near the edge of the highway – will be removed to improve the line of sight for nearby drivers.
Click here for a picture of the buildings to be removed.
The buildings have served as equipment and sign storage sheds for decades but are in poor condition and pose a safety concern. In addition, a water well will be filled and sealed on this two-acre parcel.
Contractors will be solicited for both projects. Selections should be made in June and the work will occur in July or August.