5/2/2014
Reed Hollinshead
ITD Communication
208-334-8881
reed.hollinshead@itd.idaho.gov
I-84 traffic in Nampa restricted for needed crack sealing Monday-Wednesday next week
BOISE - Drivers on eastbound Interstate 84 between Karcher and Franklin in Nampa (mileposts 33 to 36) will experience delays during crack-sealing work on the freeway next week, the Idaho Transportation Department announced. Crews will begin Monday (May 5) in the left-hand lane, after the morning commute. Crack sealing will preserve the roadway surface and provide a smoother ride for motorists.
“It is important to do this work now,” said Jason Brinkman, ITD southwest Idaho Engineering Manager. The work is in preparation for a project in Nampa beginning in mid-May, and can’t be done overnight because nighttime temperatures are still too cold for sealer material to properly adhere to the roadway surface.
“We try to avoid daytime work on the Interstate whenever possible to avoid traffic interference, but this is an operation that simply requires daylight and warmer temperatures,” Brinkman explained.
Performing the work overnight, as is ITD’s normal procedure on I-84 between Caldwell and Boise, would result in a product that would need to be replaced too quickly, or that could even work loose from the pavement surface and become airborne, creating a driving hazard.
To minimize traffic impacts, work is slated for 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. — after the morning commute and before the evening commute. ITD will work to accomplish repairs as quickly as possible. Because of this aggressive schedule, crews earlier this week performed six days of repair in only 2.5 days, completing more than 15,000 feet of roadway repair.
One lane will be restricted in this section of two-lane road Monday through Wednesday, weather permitting. The lane to be closed will alternate from day-to-day as work progresses.
Electronic message boards, including one five miles from the project advising drivers to use an alternate route if appropriate, will be used beginning today to alert drivers to the upcoming restrictions. Another sign is located one mile from the start.