11/17/2016
MEDIA ADVISORY: Media, public invited to Thornton Interchange grand opening Friday morning
RIGBY – Members of the media and the public are invited to join the grand opening ceremony of the Thornton Interchange on U.S. 20 this Friday, November 18 at 10 a.m.
Completing this interchange marks the end of a 16-year project to build a series of interchanges that improves safety and mobility along the U.S. 20 corridor between Idaho Falls and Sugar City. The Thornton Interchange is the seventh interchange constructed along the route. The interchanges replace 18 ground level intersections that have been closed.
Despite traffic more than doubling on the corridor, these interchanges have cut the number of fatalities in half, and drastically reduced the rate of serious-injury crashes.
The ceremony Friday will highlight the extensive efforts of
the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) to complete this project, as well as the
positive impact to highway safety, area businesses and commercial
transportation. Members of ITD and public leaders will finish by removing the barriers to the interchange, immediately opening it to motorists.
Where: Thornton Interchange & U.S. 20, milepost 328.
When: Friday, November 18. Ceremony begins at 10 a.m.
Individual interview opportunities with ITD officials will be available following the ceremony.