2/27/2014
Reed Hollinshead
ITD Communication
208-334-8881
reed.hollinshead@itd.idaho.gov
Construction begins next week at Gowen interchange in east Boise
BOISE – The Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) reminds motorists to watch for construction signs and speed-limit changes as long-awaited construction begins at the Interstate 84, Gowen Road Interchange next week.
Overnight (8 p.m. to 5 a.m.) lane restrictions will start Monday (March 3) on I-84 near the interchange, and will continue through the end of March.
The Gowen interchange is being replaced to accommodate today’s traffic volumes. The existing interchange was built in 1969 when the average daily I-84 traffic was 5,650 vehicles. Today, about 44,500 vehicles travel over, under, on and off the interchange each day.
The project includes widening Gowen Road to five lanes, replacing the bridge over I-84, building new on- and off-ramps, and improving turn lanes on Gowen Road, Federal Way and Eisenman Road. I-84 will be widened to three lanes between the Gowen and Broadway interchanges.
ITD asks motorists to slow down and pay attention in the work zone. Throughout construction, the speed limit in the work zone is 55 mph on I-84 and 25 mph on Gowen Road.
Two miles to the west, the Broadway Interchange also is under construction. Both projects are expected to be completed by late 2015. Click here for a construction overview on the two projects.
Construction updates will be sent via email to interested parties and posted on the project website at www.itd.idaho.gov/GowenInterchange. To sign up for email construction updates, contact ITD at comments@itd.idaho.gov, visit the project website, or call (208) 334-8005.
Construction is funded through the GARVEE Transportation Program, which uses Grant Anticipation Revenue Vehicle (GARVEE) bonds to fund critical highway improvements throughout the state. GARVEE has resulted in significant safety improvements on Idaho's highways - crashes have been reduced by 38 percent, serious injuries by 51 percent and fatalities by 89 percent in corridors after GARVEE projects have been completed, despite nearly 46 million more miles driven.