Construction of new bridge over Snake River
reaches halfway point

Moderate temperatures at the beginning of the winter have allowed construction crews to progress on the Idaho Highway 55 bridge over the Snake River in Marsing. The team just hit a major milestone, as one side of the new bridge opened to traffic this week.

This is a major project for the rural town on the Owyhee/Canyon County border. Starting last spring, the project will replace an old (built in 1955), dilapidated bridge and completely rebuild the highway through the heart of Marsing.

The work in town wrapped up this  year, but the bridge project will take another construction season to complete. One lane at a time will be demolished and rebuilt.

This week, work was completed on the new lane to allow travel. Motorists will now enjoy driving on the new structure as construction moves to the second half of the bridge.

“This is a uniquely challenging project,” said David Barrett, District 3 project manager. “The city of Marsing is built up right along the river and doesn’t have a great local road network to handle traffic during construction. By collaborating with the city, we were able to address concerns of the nearby businesses and get the work done in a timely manner.

“We’re still plugging away on the bridge," he added. "The Snake River is a precious natural resource, so we’re taking precautions to reduce impacts to it from our work. The bridge is the primary entryway to both the city and Owyhee County. When we’re done, it will be a beautiful landmark for the community to enjoy for decades to come.”

The contractor for this project is Wadsworth Brothers. The project is scheduled to complete in Summer 2020.

Published 12-13-19