2/28/2014
Reed Hollinshead
ITD Communication
208-334-8881
reed.hollinshead@itd.idaho.gov
Southwest Idaho highway construction report for Feb. 28-March 7
BOISE - The following projects in southwest Idaho are now underway:
ADA COUNTY
Meridian, Broadway and Gowen interchange reconstructions (GARVEE)
Three major Treasure Valley interchanges will be reconstructed starting this spring, as the Meridian, Broadway and Gowen structures get a facelift after nearly five decades, thanks to GARVEE. Work is expected to be complete by late 2015.
The current Broadway interchange was built in 1969 when approximately 8,850 vehicles traveled on Interstate 84 near Broadway Avenue. Today, 70,000 vehicles travel over, under, and on and off the Broadway interchange each day. Gowen interchange, also built in 1969, went from 5,650 vehicles on the interstate to 45,000 daily.
Those numbers are expected to reach 149,000 (Broadway) and 127,000 (Gowen) by 2035. The Meridian interchange has seen the most explosive growth, from a daily intersection total of 10,650 in 1966 (it was built in 1965) to 128,000 today.
In addition to reconstructing the interchanges, work will include widening I-84 under the Meridian interchange and adding a third lane in each direction between the Broadway and Gowen interchanges. Gowen Road also will be widened between S. Eisenman Road and Federal Way. The railroad bridges between Broadway and Gowen will be replaced and widened to make room for additional lanes.
A Single Point Urban Interchange (SPUI) design, similar to the structures at Ten Mile and Vista, will be used in the reconstruction of the Meridian Road Interchange. The new Broadway interchange also will be a SPUI design. A conventional diamond interchange will replace the current interchange at Gowen Road.
Projects were selected based on readiness, pavement condition, congestion and safety. The work will be funded with savings from GARVEE, as well as regular federal funds.
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.
I-84, Broadway Avenue Interchange
Construction began this week on the Broadway interchange in east Boise. ITD will add turn lanes on Broadway Avenue, replace the bridge and ramps, and add a third lane to I-84 between the Broadway and Gowen interchanges. The project is expected to be completed by late 2015.
The contractor will begin work on the new bridge piers, ramps and underground drainage next week. Some of the work will be noisy.
One lane of I-84 may be closed at night (8:30 p.m. to 5 a.m.) during March. Lane restrictions will continue until 7 a.m. on weekends. The speed limit is 55 mph on I-84 and 25 mph on Broadway Avenue in the work zone.
Concrete Placing Company, of Boise, is the contractor on the $26.7 million project.
I-84, Gowen Road Interchange
Construction at the Gowen interchange will begin the week of March 3. ITD will widen Gowen Road to five lanes, replace the bridge and ramps, improve turn lanes in the area, and add a third lane to I-84 between the Broadway and Gowen interchanges.
The project is expected to be completed by late 2015.
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. Lane restrictions will continue until 7 a.m. on weekends.
The speed limit is 55 mph on I-84 and 25 mph on Gowen Road in the work zone.
Knife River Corporation, of Boise, is the contractor on the $27 million project.
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.
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.
Crews finished all contract work at the I-84 extension this week. They poured the barrel and wing walls on the Meridian East extension and formed the barrel walls and deck. Sewer work was completed on the west side of Meridian Road, and crews hope to have the parking lot paved late next week.
The contractor will begin backfilling the Meridian West structure next week and pour the barrel, wing walls and deck on Meridian East. There may be intermittent lane closures between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. on the eastbound off-ramp for some backfill work.
Granite Excavation, of Cascade, is the contractor on this $1 million project.
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 will be incorporated in the bridge.
Much of the project was shut down for the winter, but with warmer weather, some activities have resumed. Work began in May 2012 and is expected to finish by this fall.
Traffic shifts will occur at night the week of March 3 on Chinden to allow construction work. Traffic may be reduced to one lane, and flaggers will help guide drivers through the area. Traffic crews on U.S. 20/26 near the extension of Idaho 16 continue to fill potholes and sweep the roadway to promote safe conditions for the traveling public. Intermittent traffic shifts will occur if needed for these activities.
Construction on the north side of Chinden continues as weather allows. Concrete barricades separate traffic from most construction activities and flaggers will help direct traffic as necessary. All construction schedules are subject to change due to weather. The speed limit in the construction area will be 45 mph. Motorists are strongly encouraged to drive with caution through construction zones.
All east- and westbound Idaho 44 traffic lanes near the Idaho 16 intersection are open, including turn lanes for northbound Idaho 16. The new section of Idaho 16, north of Idaho 44, is scheduled for final configuration in early March. Road sweeping is being done in this area of the project as well.
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.
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 in 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 is 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.
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There are several other projects due to begin this spring or summer:
Idaho 52, Railroad Overpass Replacement, Payette
This project, likely to begin in late June or early July, 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, likely to begin in July or August, 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, resulting in a lane dedicated to the ramp turn.
I-84, UPRR E. Lateral Canal Bridge & Northside Blvd. Underpass, Nampa
The aging Union Pacific Railroad E. Lateral Canal Bridge and the Northside Boulevard Overpass with Interstate 84 at Exit 35 will be improved in this six-month project. The bridge decks on the westbound UPRR bridge and the eastbound Northside structure will be replaced, while decks on the eastbound UPRR bridge and westbound Northside will be repaired and sealed.
Idaho 55, Lardo Bridge replacement, Cascade
The 83-year-old Lardo Bridge on Idaho 55 near the McCall City Park on the southwest shore of Payette Lake is scheduled to be replaced starting this fall. When completed, the project will replace roadway approaches to the bridge and provide bicycle and pedestrian facilities on both sides of the bridge. The new bridge will be 200 feet long and 50 feet wide.