IDAGO, I-90 sinkholes, and heavy truck routes
highlight board’s Feb. 21 meeting

The status of IDAGO, I-90 emergency repairs, and three 129k heavy truck route proposals will be featured in the Idaho Transportation Board’s monthly meeting in Boise Feb. 21.

Long-Range Plan
The draft Long-Range Transportation Plan will be presented to the board at its meeting in the auditorium at Headquarters,

Staff has been updating the 2010 “Idaho on the Move” long-range transportation plan for about the past two years. It kept the board updated on the progress last year as it worked on various components, such as technical reports and stakeholder summary, transportation systems and data, new and emerging technologies, and modal planning.

The document provides information, guidance, and recommendations to help navigate transportation issues through 2040. It addresses topics such as funding, growth, inflation, project selection, and performance management.

A tentative public comment period is planned from February 24 to April 10, if the board consents to proceeding with the public comment period. After the public comment period ends, staff will review comments, respond to them, and make applicable changes to the draft plan. The final step will be board approval of the 2040 IDAGO Plan.

I-90 Sinkholes
Earlier this month, the pavement on Interstate 90 near Kellogg sunk 2-8 inches in two separate areas. The speed limit was immediately lowered from 75 mph to 45 mph to allow safe passage through the dips.

Staff will inform the board of the plans to address the sinking, which is likely due to water passing deep under the road from the Environmental Protection Agency/Corps Central Impound Area on the south side of I-90.  A deep bentonite wall project was done there this summer to contain the water parallel to the road as part of the superfund site to control contaminated mine tailing runoff.

A temporary repair project to address the surface asphalt settlement and perform engineering and monitoring started on Feb. 14, for $350,000. The first step was to grind the surface and bring the road surface level with hot mix asphalt. Future traffic control and asphalt courses may be needed until a permanent solution can be engineered.

129,000-Lb. Truck Routes
Staff will request approval to designate three routes for vehicle combinations up to 129,000 lbs.

The routes are ID-69 and ID-55 from I-84 to ID-44 in District 3 and District 4’s US-93 from Washington Street in Twin Falls to the intersection with ID-25. The various analyses, including on the bridges, pavement, and safety, indicate all three routes can accommodate the heavier vehicles.

The process to designate 129,000-lb. truck routes includes conducting public hearings and a 30-day public comment period. The few comments received on the three routes mainly expressed concern with safety and the potential premature wear and tear. At its meeting last month, the Board Subcommittee on 129,000-lb. Truck Routes reviewed the route requests and analyses and made motions recommending that the full board approve the route designations.

Published 02-15-19