2/7/2014
Reed Hollinshead
ITD Communication
208-334-8881
reed.hollinshead@itd.idaho.gov
Southwest Idaho highway construction report for Feb. 7-14
BOISE - The following projects in southwest Idaho are now under way:
ADA COUNTY
BOISE - Idaho 16 Extension, river crossing and local road connections (GARVEE)
Construction continues on the 2.5-mile extension of Idaho 16 connecting Chinden Boulevard (U.S. 20/26) to State Street (Idaho 44), including 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.
Much of the project is shut down for the winter, but some activities that are not weather-dependent continue. Work began in May 2012 and is expected to finish by the fall of 2014.
Crews are adjusting the bridge-deck drain piping installation this week on the bridge over the Boise River. They also are completing the first access road to the south abutment and placing wetland mitigation rock on the island between the South Slough and the south side of the river.
On the connection to the local roads, crews shifted traffic to the south onto temporary pavement last week to allow the utility company to relocate and/or adjust its facilities to permit installation of irrigation and drainage pipe.
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
MERIDIAN – Ten Mile Creek bridge work (precursor to interchange rebuild)
ITD started to widen the bridge over Ten Mile Creek on Meridian Road and Interstate 84 just before Christmas. The work is necessary to prepare for additional lanes on Meridian Road and the westbound on-ramp to I-84 as a part of the new Meridian Interchange project that will begin this spring.
Crews poured the footing for the west bridge extension at Meridian and started forming the barrel walls this week. Demolition continued on the east side extension, and the contractor began sewer work on the east side of Meridian Road.
Weather permitting, crews intend to finish all I-84 work and creek re-grading by the end of next week. Crews will hopefully have sewer work complete, finish installation of the bridge shoring, and start the footings next week.
Most construction will occur during daylight hours; the I-84 westbound on-ramp at Meridian Road will be open at all times. Lanes on Meridian Road will remain open in each direction during the days. Over the next several months, lane restrictions might occur on Meridian Road overnight from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.
Idaho Power has begun moving power lines and poles for utility work on Meridian Road. The city of Meridian will install a sewer line on the west side of Meridian Road from Overland Road north to Ten Mile Creek.
Lanes on Meridian Road will remain open during the utility work.
Granite Excavation, of Cascade, is the contractor on this $1 million project.
Last summer, the Idaho Transportation Board agreed to replace the Meridian, Broadway and Gowen I-84 interchanges to improve mobility, safety and economic opportunity for Idahoans. The projects are being advanced through savings from the GARVEE (Grant Anticipation Revenue Vehicle) program.
Projects were selected based on readiness, pavement condition, congestion and safety. The total cost for the projects on I-84 is anticipated to be $124 million, $82 million of that coming from GARVEE. The construction cost is estimated at $90 million.
BOISE COUNTY
GARDEN VALLEY - South Fork Payette River Bridge
Crews are working to replace the old bridge over the south fork of the Payette River near Garden Valley.
The project is shut down for the winter. Construction on the other half of the bridge will begin next spring, after crews remove the existing bridge. Work is expected to take most of summer 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.
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.
VALLEY COUNTY
CASCADE – Bridge Replacement
Replacement of the North Fork Payette River Bridge in downtown Cascade has been suspended for the winter. Crews will return to plant willows in the spring, likely mid-March or April.
The old, narrow, width-restricted bridge was replaced with one more than twice as wide. The earlier bridge was 24 feet wide, and was replaced with a 60-foot wide, 393-foot long, three-span bridge. The new bridge has two 12-foot lanes, two 11-foot shoulders and a 14-foot median.
In addition, a paved extension to the dirt shared-use path under the bridge on the north side of the river was built to provide access from both sides of the bridge to the new riverside park.
Wadsworth Brothers Construction Co. Inc., of Draper, Utah, is the contractor on this $4.83 million project.
In addition, there are several projects due to begin this spring or summer:
Idaho 52, Railroad Overpass Replacement, Payette
This project will rehabilitate and resurface the railroad overpass on Idaho 52 in Payette. The bridge-deck surface is potholed, with worn bridge joints. Crews will rehabilitate the deck of the overpass, built in 1962, to create a better driving surface, remove lead paint and repaint the railing.
U.S. 95, Creek Bridge Replacement, Washington County
The project will replace the old short-span Creek Bridge on U.S. 95 about seven miles north of Cambridge. The Creek Bridge, at milepost 120.6, is the oldest structure on the state highway system, built in 1918. The bridge is in poor condition. The existing bridge, which is 14 feet in length and 34 feet wide, will be replaced by a pipe culvert with a 72-inch diameter measuring 56 feet in length.
Idaho 21, Lucky Peak High Bridge to Robie Creek Road resurfacing
A 4.7-mile (milepost 17.3-22) piece of two-lane road from the High Bridge, at the turn to Spring Shores Marina, to the turn at Robie Creek Road, will be resurfaced in a CRABS project. The work also will include repairs to the existing drainage system, some roadway widening, and replacement of substandard guardrail.
Idaho 21, Idaho City to Mores Creek Summit resurfacing
This is a 13.3-mile pavement-rehabilitation project from Idaho City, at the ITD maintenance shed, to the Mores Creek Summit. Crews will conduct pavement repairs, fix frost heaves and improve drainage. They also will mill the surface, trench across and along the road at various locations, seal cracks in the pavement surface and apply a seal coat to the new surface.
I-84, Oregon State Line to Black Canyon Interchange (Exit 13), east- and westbound
Crews will mill out about three inches of pavement in the right lanes and replace it with new asphalt. Both lanes and shoulders will then be overlayed with about two inches of asphalt. The ramps at Exit 3 (Fruitland) and at Exit 9 (New Plymouth) also will be overlayed.
Idaho 55, Eagle Rd., I-84 to Franklin southbound, Meridian
This project will widen Eagle Road to add a third southbound lane from Franklin Road to the I-84 westbound on-ramp.