7/16/2015
REMINDER: Galena paving project begins Wednesday (July 22)
KETCHUM – A resurfacing project of Idaho 75 over Galena Summit, expected to begin Wednesday (July 22), is expected to increase the life of the roadway and improve smoothness, the Idaho Transportation Department announced. The month-long project will impact night-time travel, causing delays and reduced speeds.
Crews will apply a resurfacing treatment called a Stress Absorbing Layer of Straight Asphalt (SALSA). The eight-mile section of Idaho 75 from near Galena Lodge to about halfway down the north slope of Galena will be covered with the stress-absorbing layer of liquid asphalt oil, overlaid with asphalt pavement, and completed with a seal coat.
The contractor will pave this portion of the project during the night to minimize the impact to most drivers. Traffic will be reduced to one lane during work hours from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. on Monday evenings through Saturday mornings. Drivers should watch for flaggers and be prepared for delays of as long as 15 minutes.
The seal coat will follow in mid-August and will be completed during the day. The contractor will reduce traffic to one lane during daytime hours during the week-long portion of work. The finished roadway will also feature a center-line rumble strip to help prevent traffic from crossing into the opposing lane.
The speed limit will be reduced throughout the construction zone to 35 mph during work hours and after the seal coat is applied. Drivers are encouraged to use caution when driving through the work zone and increase following distance to prevent cracked windshields on the seal-coated roadway.
When complete in late August, the resurfaced section, between milepost 151 and 160, will be striped with a narrower travel lane and additional space provided on the shoulders to give a little more room to ride for bikers and other recreationalists using the highway.
In its current layout, the roadway over Galena Summit has a variable shoulder width from nonexistent to several feet in turnout areas, which creates an uncomfortable – and potentially unsafe – condition for bicyclists. The traditional 12-foot travel lanes will be narrowed to 11 feet and the excess space will be positioned on the uphill shoulder, where bicyclists are riding the slowest and need space.
Valley Paving, from Bellevue, is the contractor for the $1.8 million project.