8/14/2013
Concrete slab replacement to begin Aug. 26 on U.S. 95 near Cottonwood
LEWISTON – A project to remove and replace concrete slabs on U.S. 95 near Cottonwood will begin Monday, Aug. 26, and continue through late October, the Idaho Transportation Department announced.
Contractors will work Mondays through Saturdays, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., to replace about one-third of the 8,000 slabs in the corridor. That segment of U.S. 95 was built in 1976 with an expected lifespan of about 40 years, according to ITD engineers.
Slabs identified for replacement have been damaged through normal traffic. Replacing those concrete slabs is expected to add another 10 years of service to the highway.
The slabs are about 12 feet wide by 15 feet long and eight inches thick.
U.S. 95 will be reduced to a single lane at several locations between mileposts 251 and 262 during the maintenance project. Motorists should expect delays of up to 15 minutes in the 10-mile corridor. Flaggers and pilot cars will guide vehicles through the construction area.
After new concrete is placed, sections of the highway will be closed for longer periods while the concrete cures. That will require 24-hour flagging operations.
Interstate Improvement Inc., of Faribault, Minn., was awarded the $1.4 million contract.