4/27/2006
Chinden Boulevard widening, between HP and Joplin, begins Monday (May 1)
Editors note: Members of the news media wishing interviews on Friday (April 28) with ITD staff about the Chinden Boulevard widening project should contact Mike Maller (334-8881).
BOISE - A project to widen Chinden Boulevard (U.S. 20/26) from three to five lanes between Hewlett Packard and Joplin Road/Mountain View Drive is scheduled to begin Monday (May 1), the Idaho Transportation Department announced.
In addition to two more lanes of traffic, this roadway improvement will include realigned intersections at Joplin Road and Mountain View Drive plus bicycle lanes, curb, gutter and sidewalks to both sides of the road.
During construction, the center turn lane on Chinden will be eliminated and traffic will be restricted to one lane in each direction. In the evenings, between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m., motorists should also expect periodic lane closures with flagger control. Access to businesses and residences will be maintained.
Motorists can access Joplin Road from its western intersection with Chinden (near Cloverdale Road). Joplin Road at its eastern intersection with Chinden (near Mountain View Drive) will be closed until July so crews can build a retaining wall from the base of Joplin up to Chinden. At its highest point, the wall will be 25 feet high. Both lanes of Joplin will remain open beyond the wall-building work zone. The mechanically stabilized earth wall will support lane expansion on Chinden Boulevard.
In order to expedite this project, work may be done during day and nighttime hours, seven days a week. Idaho Sand & Gravel is the contractor on this $6.9 million project, expected to be complete in late fall/early winter 2006.
Chinden Boulevard receives more than 26,000 vehicle trips per day and that number is expected to increase to 30,000-36,000 per day by the year 2030.
This is the second phase in a three-phase project. In November 2003, Phase One of the Chinden Widening project, between Eagle Road and Cloverdale Road, was completed. Phase Three, scheduled for construction in Spring 2007, will widen the roadway between Cloverdale Road and the HP Main Entrance, connecting Phases One and Two and completing a five-lane roadway from Eagle Road through Garden City.