9/6/2013
Reed Hollinshead
ITD Communication
208-334-8881
reed.hollinshead@itd.idaho.gov
Southwest Idaho highway construction report for Sept. 6-13
BOISE - The following projects in southwest Idaho are now under way or will begin soon.
ADA COUNTY
BOISE - Idaho 16 Extension, river crossing and local road connections (GARVEE)
A 2.5-mile extension of Idaho 16 is under way, connecting Chinden Boulevard (U.S. 20/26) to State Street (Idaho 44), including construction of a 1,726-foot-long, 11-span, 10-pier, 88-foot-wide bridge over the Boise River and a new crossing of the Phyllis Canal. More than 1.5 million pounds of rebar and over 36.6 million pounds of concrete are used in the bridge.
Work is expected to finish by the fall of 2014.
Concrete guardrails will separate traffic from construction activities, and motorists are strongly encouraged to drive with caution. The speed limit is 45 mph.
On the Boise River bridge, parapet was placed, rebar was formed and concrete pavement was placed south of the bridge. Crews also continue weed control and shouldering work. Concrete paving on the north side will take place next spring. Crews are also cutting and removing weeds from areas that have not been stabilized in preparation for permanent seeding with native wild grasses.
Crews also are hauling road base and grading Idaho 44 and the new Idaho 16 alignment in preparation for permanent asphalt paving on or about Sept. 16. Companies are relocating their utility facilities out of the new roadway area to allow construction of the new roadway along Idaho 44. Crews also are installing bases for a new traffic signal at Idaho 16/44, which will be west of the existing location.
Crews placed concrete for pavement for the new travel lanes and shoulders from U.S. 20 (Chinden Blvd.) to the new Boise River bridge. The contractor also is working on punch-list work to complete work on the bridge over Joplin Court Road and the Eureka Canal. Crews plan to install street name signs for the new local roads in about two weeks.
GARVEE (Grant Anticipation Revenue Vehicle) bonds allowed the Idaho Transportation Department to advance critical infrastructure improvements in vital corridors throughout the state. ? ?
Concrete Placing Co., of Boise, and Idaho Sand & Gravel, of Nampa, are the prime contractors on these projects. Knife River Construction, of Boise, and Nampa Paving are two of the main subcontractors for this work. The total construction cost is $38.94 million.
ADA COUNTY
EAST BOISE – Resurfacing on I-84 from milepost 60 to 70
ITD wants the public to be aware that construction activities on Interstate 84 east of Boise, between the Eisenman and Mayfield exits, have moved traffic over to one side of the interstate for one-lane travel in both directions until late October. The contractor has accelerated work and is ahead of his original schedule, which had the project finishing just before Thanksgiving.
Crews completed striping, and placed rumble strips, rigid pavement markers and candlesticks this week to prepare for a traffic switch anticipated for Sunday night (Sept. 8).
After the traffic switch, the eastbound rest area will reopen, but the westbound Blacks Creek Rest Area and the Eisenman and Blacks Creek off-ramps will be closed until the project finishes.
ITD also reminds drivers of ongoing blasting in the I-84 median in the same general area. The blasting, which is flattening rock outcroppings to improve driver safety, will conclude by mid-September.
Central Paving Co., of Boise, is the contractor on this $8.8 million project.
ADA COUNTY
EAGLE - State Street/Linder Road/Ballantyne Lane intersection work
Crews are rebuilding the Idaho 44/Linder Road intersection and widening Idaho 44 to five lanes. The work will improve safety, reduce congestion and allow for smoother traffic flow.
The east- and westbound lanes of Idaho 44 shifted to the north side of the highway in late June. The traffic shift on Idaho 44 will be in place until the project finishes late this month.
A second layer of pavement is planned to begin Sept. 9. Crews are currently working on roadway shoulders and approaches.
Central Paving, of Boise, is the contractor on this $9.23 million project.
ADAMS, WASHINGTON COUNTY
U.S. 95 resurfacing Manns Creek to Alpine Store
Sections of U.S. 95 totaling 31.1 miles, from Manns Creek to Shoepeg Road and Cambridge to the Alpine Store, are being resurfaced to extend the life of the road and improve traction for drivers.
The resurfacing started June 17 from milepost 87.5 to 108.9, and from 113.7 to 123.4. The route travels through Washington and Adams counties. Work is expected to finish by mid-September.
Crews completed shoulder work over the last week, installing down drains and other minor work. Crews will soon perform the final sweeping of the seal-coat area to remove excess rocks and perform final pavement markings. There are areas of loose gravel from the top of Mores Creek Summit to Lowman (these areas have signs alerting drivers).
The work is part overlay and part CRABS (Cement Recycled Asphalt Base Stabilization). CRABS is an in-depth resurfacing method. The existing roadway is pulverized down to the gravel base, cement is added to the pulverized material, and finally a new layer of asphalt pavement is placed on top.
More than 6,000 feet of guardrail will be replaced to meet current standards.
The project also will include some improvements to bridge decks and the current drainage systems at Monroe Creek (milepost 88.3) on the southern end of the project area and 18 miles farther north at Keithly Creek (milepost 106.5).
Knife River Corp. Northwest, of Boise, is the contractor on this $6 million project.
BOISE COUNTY
GARDEN VALLEY - South Fork Payette River Bridge
Crews started work to replace the old bridge over the south fork of the Payette River near Garden Valley. The work is expected to last until December 2013 or January 2014.
The old bridge, located southwest of town, also called the Alder Creek Bridge or Silver Bridge, has a sufficiency rating of less than 50. Boise County is the local sponsor. The new bridge will be relocated upstream and the existing bridge will serve as a detour during construction.
ITD provided no input on the design phase of this project. Two open houses and a public hearing were held. Property owners, river-rafting companies and emergency responders were also contacted by phone and email.
All girders have been set for the new bridge.
Ralph L. Wadsworth Construction Company Inc., of Draper, Utah, is the contractor on this $2.3 million project.
This is an LHTAC (Local Highway Technical Assistance Council) project. ITD has oversight responsibility for this work.
OWYHEE COUNTY
Murphy – Idaho 78, Scorpion Creek Bridge
A project to place a bridge over Scorpion Creek on Idaho 78 in Owyhee County is winding down. The project is slated for completion in mid-September.
Crews will pave and re-stripe soon.
The new concrete slab bridge replaces three corrugated-metal culverts running under the roadway at milepost 23. One culvert was completely plugged. The other two culverts were more than halfway filled with sediment from the creek.
The new bridge addresses a safety concern with water spilling over the roadway every time Scorpion Creek floods, which is nearly an annual event. The new bridge, about six miles northwest of Murphy, will accommodate higher water levels. The roadway elevation also will be raised about two feet. The roadway approaches will be reconstructed to match the new height and the wider bridge.
No night or weekend work is anticipated but is not prohibited, if necessary, to finish the project on time.
One lane of traffic is maintained across the bridge during construction, controlled by a temporary traffic signal. Flaggers are used when needed.
Knife River Corp. Northwest, of Boise, is the contractor on this $947,000 project.
PAYETTE COUNTY
FRUITLAND - SW 3rd Street; Iowa Avenue to Jct. U.S. 95
This Local Highway Technical Assistance Council (LHTAC) project is a reconstruction of the main street through old downtown. The pavement is old and excessively patched, sidewalks are deficient and there are drainage issues.
Work is expected to continue until the first week of October.
The city of Fruitland is the local sponsor.
Irvco Asphalt & Gravel, of Fruitland, is the contractor on this $2.25 million project.
VALLEY COUNTY
CASCADE – Bridge Replacement
Replacement of the North Fork Payette River Bridge in downtown Cascade continues. The bridgework will extend into late fall 2013.
This project will replace the old, narrow, width-restricted bridge built in 1933 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 built 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. The short section under the west half of the new bridge has been graded, but has not yet been paved.
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.
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.
The new bridge girders on the east side have been completed. Diaphragms will be set soon, and paving is ongoing. The contractor continued to remove forms from the wing walls and form the deck. Once the wing walls reach strength, they will backfill and prepare for the sleeper beams, which will then lead to finishing the roadwork.
Wadsworth Brothers Construction Co. Inc., of Draper, Utah, is the contractor on this $4.83 million project.
VALLEY COUNTY
CASCADE - Lakeshore Drive reconstruction
This upcoming project involves reconstructing and widening 1,400 feet of roadway from old State Highway Road to Caddy Lane utilizing city-owned right of way, as well as replacing sewer and water system utilities and adding a sidewalk on the east side. The total project will cover the area from Dam Road to Duffers Lane, approximately 1.15 miles.
Public Lands Highway Discretionary Program and City of Cascade funds are being used to build this project.
The contractor completed all concrete curb and gutters, including the concrete catch basins. They also placed topsoil on the fill slopes, completed placing aggregate gravel base on the roadway, and will pave if weather permits.
Granite Excavation, of Cascade, is the contractor on this $633,000 project. Work is expected to wrap up this month.
WASHINGTON COUNTY
WEISER – replacement of bridge over Weiser River
The replacement of a 78-year-old bridge over the Weiser River south of Weiser has begun, with several significant traffic impacts. The work on U.S. 95 is expected to be done by the end of this year.
Traffic is restricted to one lane across the bridge. North- and southbound traffic will alternate across the bridge, controlled by temporary signals at both ends of the structure.
Drivers are reminded to use patience during reconstruction and perhaps consider an alternate route, such as Oregon State Route 201 and the U.S. 95 Spur.
Traffic volume increases on U.S. 95 on weekends, so electronic message boards, both on the side of the highway and overhead on westbound I-84, will be used to alert motorists of bridge restrictions.
Crews plan to work Mondays through Fridays, but will be off the highway on weekends and holidays.
The two-lane bridge, one of 99 remaining on the state system built before 1936, will be replaced with a three-lane structure.
The existing bridge has 26 feet of drivable width, but the new one will be expanded to 48. An average of 7,300 vehicles use the bridge daily. More than 100 million vehicle trips have been taken across the bridge during its lifetime.
In addition to replacing the aging bridge, crews also will reconstruct more than 500 feet of bridge approaches at the north and south ends.
The existing bridge has a sidewalk and two 13-foot lanes but no shoulders. The new bridge will have two 12-foot lanes and a 12-foot center turn lane. The project features a two-foot buffer next to the decorative bridge railing, a five-foot shoulder and a five-foot sidewalk on the west side. No bike lanes will be included in the project.
The new bridge will be 346 feet long and 55 feet wide, including the parapet.
The contractor poured concrete for the footing of Pier 2 and Abutment 2 of Stage 2 last week, and also set the precast column for Pier 2. Over the next week, concrete will be allowed to cure and sheet piles removed around Pier 2.
Braun-Jensen, of Payette, is the prime contractor on the $4.8 million project.