5/5/2015
REMINDER: I-84 Snake River bridge replacement begins this week
DECLO – Beginning this week, work to replace two Interstate 84 bridges crossing the Snake River east of Burley and Rupert will slow and restrict traffic, the Idaho Transportation Department announced. The two-year project will replace the twin bridges at milepost 216 near the Declo Interchange.
Work will begin Wednesday (May 6) with installation of traffic-control signage. By the end of the week, alternating lane closures and shifts in the traffic patterns will begin. Early work will include construction of median crossovers and construction of a median loop ramp to accommodate a westbound entrance onto I-84.
Click here for a picture of the bridges. Click here for a map of the loop-ramp configuration.
Access to the westbound on-ramp will be limited for the remainder of May while the temporary ramp is constructed. Westbound on-ramp traffic will be detoured on Idaho 77 to Idaho 81 through Declo and Burley, to enter I-84 at the Heyburn Interchange at Exit 211.
Once the temporary traffic pattern is established in early June, a work platform will be built between the twin bridges, and demolition of the westbound bridge will begin.
Throughout construction, traffic on I-84 will be reduced to a single lane in each direction as all traffic will be diverted onto a single bridge. Drivers are cautioned to reduce speed throughout the construction zone. Detours also will be in effect for all wide and heavy loads.
The westbound bridge is expected to be open to traffic in early 2016. Demolition and construction of the eastbound bridge will follow, with final completion of the project expected in spring of 2017.
The new bridges will be slightly longer, featuring wider shoulders, fewer piers in the water, and increased vertical clearance for river traffic.
The 1,100-foot structures, built in 1960 as part of the interstate's original construction, are both considered structurally deficient. Each bridge carries about 7,000 vehicles per day.
Ralph L. Wadsworth Construction of Draper, Utah, is the contractor for the $17.88 million project.