6/27/2014
Reed Hollinshead
ITD Communication
208-334-8881
reed.hollinshead@itd.idaho.gov
Southwest Idaho highway construction report for June 27-July 3
The following projects in southwest Idaho are now underway:
ADA COUNTY
Meridian, Broadway and Gowen interchange reconstructions (GARVEE)
Three major Treasure Valley interchanges are being reconstructed, 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 fall 2015.
The current Broadway interchange was built in 1969 when approximately 8,850 vehicles traveled on Interstate 84 near Broadway Avenue. Today, 74,000 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 47,000 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 133,000 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 is well underway on the Broadway interchange in east Boise. ITD is adding turn lanes on Broadway Avenue, replacing the bridge and ramps, and adding a third lane to I-84 between the Broadway and Gowen interchanges. The project is expected to be completed by late 2015.
Crews finished shifting traffic away from the freeway median last week and are preparing to remove pavement and rebuild the median barrier. Work in the median is part of adding a third travel lane on I-84 in both directions.
On Friday night (June 27), flaggers will direct traffic at the intersection of Broadway Avenue and the eastbound I-84 ramps. The flagging operation will begin at 8:30 p.m. Friday and end at 7 a.m. Saturday. Crews will be preparing a temporary traffic signal for the next phase of construction.
Traffic will shift to the eastern part of the new bridge the week of July 6 and the old bridge will be demolished. The traffic shift and bridge demolition will cause lane restrictions on Broadway Avenue and overnight detours on I-84 the week of July 6. ITD will announce detour routes.
Southbound Broadway Avenue is restricted to one travel lane across the interchange until next year. Southbound Broadway Avenue will be closed several evenings from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. during blasting detours. The work-zone speed limit on Broadway Avenue is 25 mph.
All lanes of I-84 will be open during the day, but lanes will be reduced at night (8:30 p.m. to 5 a.m.). Shoulders will be reduced in some areas of I-84 during the next phase of construction. The work-zone speed limit on I-84 is 55 mph.
Concrete Placing Company, of Boise, is the contractor on the $26.7 million project.
I-84, Gowen Road Interchange
Major construction is continuing at the Gowen interchange in east Boise. 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.
The contractor is preparing to move traffic on I-84 in July. Traffic will be reduced to one lane in both directions of I-84 from early July to October while crews rebuild the eastbound section of the interchange bridge.
Evening blasting detours will continue on most nights in the interchange area. The next blasts are scheduled June 30-July 2. Traffic will be detoured off I-84 between the Broadway and Eisenman interchanges from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. during blasting. The blasting detours also will affect Gowen Road and southbound Broadway Avenue.
During blasting this summer, approximately 35,000 cubic yards of hard basalt rock will be removed to make way for the new ramps and improvements.
Crews also are working on widening the eastbound railroad bridge near Gowen. They will be switching eastbound traffic to the westbound side after the Fourth of July weekend.
Overnight lane restrictions will continue on I-84 from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. weekdays. Restrictions will continue until 7 a.m. weekend mornings.
The speed limit is 55 mph on I-84 in the work zone.
Knife River Corporation, of Boise, is the contractor on the $27 million project.
I-84, Meridian Road Interchange
Construction is progressing to replace the Meridian Interchange and improve I-84 between Meridian and Five Mile roads. Meridian Road will be widened to three through lanes in each direction between Central Drive and Overland Road with curb, gutter, sidewalks and bicycle lanes. The improved interchange will include dual left-turn lanes for each I-84 on-ramp and a central traffic signal.
On I-84 between Meridian and Five Mile roads, the outside lanes and shoulders will be rebuilt, the inside lanes improved, and the storm-drain system in the median replaced. I-84 will be widened four lanes in both directions under the interchange.
At the interchange, crews will continue building the pier and abutment for the west half of the bridge, and building embankments for the westbound on- and off-ramps. Crews are working in the median between Meridian Road and Five Mile. They are removing asphalt and constructing the storm-drain system in the median.
This week, crews completed work on the Abutment 2 retaining wall and will begin with the Abutment 1 wall next week. Now that the wall is built, they will begin Abutment 2 cap work (form, rebar) next week and Abutment 1 work the following week.
Crews are working on the new westbound on-ramp extension, making final preparations for concrete paving. They hope to have this section paved within the next two weeks.
Crews are working day and night. I-84 will be reduced to two lanes at night (10 p.m. to 5 a.m. during the week, and 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. on weekends). Lane widths have been restricted to 10 feet on the Meridian Road bridge over I-84.
Please watch for speed-limit reductions in the work zone.
Concrete Placing Company, of Boise, is the contractor on the $50.8 million project.
ADA COUNTY
BOISE - Idaho 16 Extension, river crossing and local road connections (GARVEE)
On the Idaho 16 Extension project, paving on Idaho 44 is complete, with striping scheduled for completion next week. Paving on Idaho 16 north of Idaho 44 also is complete, and traffic on U.S. 20/26 is shifted to the north side through the project area as crews prepare the roadbed on the south side for paving.
Signs to guide vehicles and flaggers to direct traffic will be placed as needed through the construction zones to increase awareness and safety. Concrete barricades will separate traffic from most construction activities.
The speed limit in the construction area is 45 mph. Motorists are strongly encouraged to drive with caution through construction zones. All construction schedules are subject to change due to weather.
South of U.S. 20/26, the existing alignment of McDermott Road is closed until mid-August. Routes for local residents and emergency services are clearly marked to access U.S. 20/26. Traffic is detoured to McMillan Road from Star Road (east of McDermott) and Black Cat Road (west of McDermott).
A new alignment of McDermott Road is being constructed and will open in mid-August. The new McDermott Road intersection will only allow for right-in, right-out movements to and from U.S. 20/26.
Westbound U.S. 20/26 traffic will not be able to access McDermott and McDermott traffic will not be allowed to turn left on U.S. 20/26. Through southbound traffic from the new Idaho 16 alignment cannot continue to McDermott. These traffic measures were implemented to prevent unnecessary and potentially disruptive traffic to local residents on McDermott, which is not a through street.
The 2.5-mile extension of Idaho 16 over the Boise River, from Idaho 44 to U.S. 20/26, will not open to traffic until full project completion, anticipated in mid-August.
Concrete Placing Co., of Boise, and Idaho Sand & Gravel, of Nampa, are the prime contractors on these projects. Knife River Const., of Boise and Nampa Paving are two of the main sub-contractors for this work. The total construction cost is $38.94 million.
ADA COUNTY
EAST BOISE – Asphalt repair, milepost 70
Crews are preparing to start a two-week, pavement-rehabilitation project on 770 feet of cracked and rutted asphalt near milepost 70. Work is expected to start in the first week of August and finish by August 22.
Traffic will be reduced to 45 mph and to one lane during the project. This project will involve a full-depth asphalt removal with an inlay to match the existing surface, followed by a 0.25-foot overlay to match the new construction from last season.
Central Paving, of Boise, is the contractor for this $220,000 project.
ADAMS COUNTY
U.S. 95 improvements, Trail Creek Bridge to Pinehurst
A brief project on U.S. 95 in Adams County between the Trail Creek Bridge and Pinehurst will resume July 7 and finish by mid-August.
Crews will be installing a welded, wire-reinforced retaining wall to support the highway’s shoulder. Work will begin at milepost 177 and head north to milepost 181.7.
This area of the highway is bordered on one side by the Little Salmon River. The project will address retaining-wall instability and add stream barbs to protect the roadway embankment.
Stream barbs are rock structures extending into a stream to modify flow patterns. They are commonly used to minimize erosion by steering the fastest current away from the eroding bank.
Crews will then replace the roadway pavement removed to fix the walls and slope. The project also will include about 900 feet of guardrail repair.
Excavation, backfill and repaving will take approximately 10 days at each of the three locations in this 4.7-mile stretch of roadway.
Flaggers will control traffic while project preparations are made and a temporary traffic signal is placed. The traffic signal will control traffic around the clock at the first location, then move to the second and third locations as work is completed.
Debco Construction, of Orofino, is the contractor on this $762,000 project.
BOISE COUNTY
IDAHO CITY NORTH - Idaho 21 resurfacing, Idaho City to Mores Creek Summit
A 13.3-mile pavement-rehabilitation project on Idaho 21 from ITD’s maintenance shed at Idaho City, to the Mores Creek Summit, began Monday (June 23). The project should finish by mid-September.
Crews will conduct pavement repairs, fix frost heaves and improve drainage, both north- and southbound, from milepost 39 to 52.3. They also will mill about one-quarter inch from the surface, trench across and along the road at various locations, seal cracks in the pavement and smooth the surface to apply a double seal coat.
Crews will work a 7 a.m.-to-7 p.m. schedule Monday through Thursday, and be off the road by noon on Fridays.
There will be an intermittent speed-limit reduction to 35 mph with only one-lane available initially. A pilot car and flaggers will be used to guide motorists.
Knife River Corp. Northwest, of Boise, is the contractor on this $1.6 million project.
BOISE COUNTY
Idaho 21 resurfacing from Lucky Peak High Bridge to Robie Creek Road
A 4.7-mile 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 beginning July 7 and extending into November.
CRABS (Cement Recycled Asphalt Base Stabilization) involves pulverizing the existing roadway down to the gravel base, then adding cement to the pulverized material, and finally, placing a new layer of asphalt pavement over the top.
The work from milepost 17.3-22 also will include repairs to the existing drainage system, culvert cleaning and inspection, and replacement of substandard or damaged guardrail.
Crews will work from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. to complete the project, and until noon on Fridays if needed.
Idaho Sand & Gravel, of Nampa, is the contractor on this $1.8 million project.
CANYON COUNTY
NAMPA - I-84, UPRR E. Lateral Canal Bridge & Northside Blvd. Underpass
Reconstruction of the aging Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) E. Lateral Canal Bridge and the Northside Boulevard Overpass with Interstate 84 at Exit 35 is underway.
Northside Boulevard is reduced from five lanes to three, one in each direction with a center turn lane, through the project area. This configuration will remain in place through mid-July. Intermittent nighttime lane closures are occurring on I-84 through the construction zone (mileposts 34.9-35.2), between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m.
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. Nighttime and weekend work is anticipated.
On Monday (June 23), the contractor began removing half of the eastbound bridge deck over Northside. Crews then completed setting the new deck, post-tensioning and grouting the new panels into place. The painting subcontractor continues to remove the old paint from the westbound Northside bridge.
The Northside interchange is ranked 8th in the state in traffic volume, carrying 80,000 vehicles per day. Both bridges were built in 1966.
Granite Construction, of Salt Lake City, is the contractor for this $4 million project.
PAYETTE COUNTY
I-84 resurfacing from Oregon border to Black Canyon
The lanes of Interstate 84 from the Oregon state line to the Black Canyon Interchange at Exit 13 are being resurfaced. The work will result in a smoother driving surface for motorists. The project is expected to last through late October or early November.
Crews first built crossovers at both ends of the project to move traffic off the freeway surface to enable repairs.
In this mill-and-inlay pavement rehabilitation on both sides of the freeway — westbound lanes will be done first, followed by the eastbound lanes — crews will mill out about three inches of pavement in the right lanes. It will then be sealed with a fiberglass pavement reinforcing fabric to prevent existing cracks from spreading upward to the new surface.
The entire roadway will be sealed with a SALSA (Stress Absorbing Layer of Straight Asphalt) to help keep the new pavement flexible. Then the entire roadway will receive three inches of new Hot Mixed Asphalt (HMA) pavement. A section of I-84 eastbound from the Snake River Bridge to milepost 0.9 will be reconstructed to repair soft-base conditions under the existing pavement.
The ramps at Exit 3 (Fruitland) and at Exit 9 (New Plymouth) also will be overlaid.
Motorists should expect possible single-lane closures during daylight hours Mondays through Fridays in either the eastbound or westbound directions for the next two to three weeks while equipment is moved to different parts of the project to construct the new median crossovers.
While lane closures are in effect, the speed limit will be reduced to 65 mph.
Western Construction, of Boise, is the contractor on this $9.6 million project.
VALLEY COUNTY
CASCADE – Bridge Replacement
Replacement of the North Fork Payette River Bridge in downtown Cascade is nearly complete. Remaining work will repair a small section of pavement (estimated at 70 x 20 feet) at the end of the project.
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 summer:
Idaho 52, Railroad Overpass Replacement, Payette
This project, likely to begin after the Fourth of July holiday, 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. Braun-Jensen Inc., of Payette, is the contractor on this $1.3 million project.
Idaho 55, Eagle Rd., I-84 to Franklin southbound, Meridian
This summer 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. The additional lane will be the standard 12 feet wide, and it also will include new curb and gutter, as well as connecting the missing sidewalk pieces. The traffic signal also will be replaced. Two lanes will be maintained during construction. Crews are replacing the light at St. Luke’s to accommodate another left-turn lane going southbound onto Eagle Road from the hospital, but the light at the Franklin Road intersection will remain unchanged.
Idaho 55, Lardo Bridge replacement, McCall
The 83-year-old Lardo Bridge on Idaho 55 near the Rotary Park on the southwest shore of Payette Lake is scheduled to be replaced this fall. Preliminary construction started in May. 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. Ralph L. Wadsworth Construction and Lochner was selected by ITD as the design-build firm for the upcoming $3.64 million project. A “Meet the Contractor” meeting was held May 13 at Hunt Lodge in McCall.
U.S. 95, Creek Bridge Replacement, Washington County
The project, likely to begin in July, 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. Knife River Construction Northwest, of Boise, is the contractor on this $350,000 project.