2/3/2015
Wendell-area roadway projects expected throughout 2015
WENDELL – Travel plans on Idaho 46 this construction season will be greatly impacted by construction throughout 2015, the Idaho Transportation Department announced. Five projects are on tap for the roadway between Buhl and Gooding, beginning later this month and lasting through next winter.
Click here for map.
Work will include replacing three canal culverts, realigning and reconstructing one mile of roadway, reconstructing the main roadway through Wendell, performing an asphalt overlay, and making bridge repairs over the Snake River.
The five projects include:
-Starting later this month, work will begin to replace the bridge over Cedar Draw and realign the intersection at Bob Barton Road and Rex Leland Highway (3500 South, 1950 East), about five miles south of Wendell. The work will replace the four-way stop with a curve for north/south traffic on Idaho 46 and a T-intersection for traffic on Bob Barton Road. This $1.86 million project, under contract with Western Construction, of Boise, is expected to be complete by June.
-Reconstruction of Idaho 46 (Idaho Street) through the city of Wendell will rebuild and pave the roadway, replace sections of sidewalk to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards, and complete base stabilization and repave West Main Street from Idaho Street to Interstate 84. The work through Wendell will last about three months, beginning in May or June. The $2 million project is under contract with Idaho Sand and Gravel, of Jerome.
- Beginning in early to mid-summer, a project to apply an asphalt overlay and sealcoat next to the reconstruction in Wendell and extending into the city of Gooding. This $2.16 million project, under contract with Western Construction, will impact traffic for about a month and includes a mill-and-inlay of pavement in the U.S. 26/Idaho 46 junction in Gooding.
- Repair work to the Ken Curtis Bridge over the Snake River north of Buhl is expected to begin in late spring or early summer. The $560,130 project will repair cracking in the concrete, repair eroded areas near the abutments, protect slopes, overlay the driving surface and upgrade guardrail. Cannon Builders, of Blackfoot, is the contractor for this project.
- The final project to replace two other culvert crossings will begin after the irrigation season ends. The work includes replacing the W-9 canal bridge about a mile south of I-84 and the Cedar Draw bridge at about 1767 East on Bob Barton Road (milepost 93.4). This $1.26 million project replaces both bridges with concrete box culverts, widens the roadway and includes guardrail. The project is under contract with Cannon Builders.
Three of the projects, those south of Wendell, are the first series of projects to upgrade portions of the roadway to state standards since ITD gained ownership in 2010. Additional improvements, to the 14.75-mile section between Buhl and Wendell, will continue in future years as funding and scheduling allows, but no further projects are scheduled in the current five-year plan.
Additional information about each project will be made available when scheduling is finalized.