9/5/2014
Reed Hollinshead
ITD Communication
208-334-8881
reed.hollinshead@itd.idaho.gov
Another award for Linder to Ballantyne Design-Build
BOISE - The reconstruction of Idaho 44 from Linder Road to Ballantyne Lane, ITD's first design-build project, received top honors in the Intermountain Division of the ENR (formerly Engineering News Record) Mountain States 2014 Best Projects competition. The ENR award is the third for this innovative project.
Central Paving was the contractor and Horrocks was the designer for the project, completed in October 2013.
The segment is a major east-west commuter route in the Treasure Valley and the primary access to Idaho's Eagle Island State Park. Traffic in this area is expected to increase to 30,000 cars each day by 2030, up from 19,000 per day today.
To accommodate anticipated increase in traffic, ITD widened Idaho 44 from three lanes to five lanes in the two-mile segment from Ballantyne to just west of Linder. The department also improved the Idaho 44/Linder Road intersection.
"The project had its share of challenges, but overall it was a very successful project for our first design-build effort and the entire project team is to be commended," said Amy Schroeder, former Innovative Contracting Unit manager and District 3 Engineering Manager of Development.
She added that she has received a lot of positive feedback from the public on the project.
The department's second design-build project is underway in McCall — the reconstruction of the 83-year-old Lardo Bridge.