9/4/2014
Reed Hollinshead
ITD Communication
208-334-8881
reed.hollinshead@itd.idaho.gov
Gowen Road, I-84 ramps will close overnight Friday and Saturday as crews place girders for new interchange bridge
BOISE – Crews will work overnight Friday and Saturday nights (Sept. 5-6) to place eight girders for the east side of the new Interstate 84 interchange bridge over Gowen Road. During the girder placement, the eastbound I-84 on-and off-ramps will be closed and Gowen Road will close from Federal Way to Eisenman Road from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. Click here for a detour map.
“At 171 feet long and 174,000 pounds each, the pre-cast concrete girders that will hold up the new Gowen interchange bridge are the longest ITD has ever used in Idaho,” said Merrill Sharp, ITD project manager. “The girders will span the entire length of the bridge above the roadway so Gowen Road can be widened to accommodate more traffic lanes.”
Click here for a video on the bridge girders.
The interchange replacement project includes widening Gowen Road to five lanes from Federal Way to Eisenman Road and adding sidewalk and bicycle lanes. A new traffic signal will also be installed at the westbound off-ramp on Gowen Road.
“Everyone who’s driven on Gowen Road under the existing bridge knows how narrow it is,” said Sharp. “Widening this section of the roadway will allow drivers in both directions to pass underneath the bridge much more comfortably.”
The overnight operation scheduled for Sunday night will be the first of two girder placements for the Gowen Road Interchange reconstruction project. Additional girders will be placed for the west half of the bridge next year.
Crews will be working throughout the week to prepare for the girder placement. Click here to view Photo 1, Photo 2 and Photo 3 of the new girders.
Last month, the contractor demolished and began rebuilding the east side of the bridge over Gowen Road. The east side of the new bridge at the interchange is scheduled to be complete in late October.
To give crews enough room to rebuild the bridge, eastbound traffic on I-84 has been crossed over to the westbound side for a 1.5-mile stretch west and east of the interchange. Eastbound motorists intending to exit at the Gowen Road Interchange must move into a dedicated exit lane after the Broadway Interchange. The speed limit is 45 mph on the dedicated exit lane.
ITD reminds drivers to slow down and pay attention in the work zone. The speed limit is 55 mph on I-84 and 25 mph on Gowen Road.
The interchange is being replaced to accommodate more traffic and improve safety. Construction is expected to be completed in late 2015.
Knife River Corporation, of Boise, is the contractor for this $27 million project.