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District 4 ready to declare '07 construction done

At this point in the year, everyone in construction is crossing their fingers that the snow doesn’t start to fly and the temperatures stay warm, but it will be a battle to the end.

While several small projects have dotted the highways of District 4 this summer, it is the major reconstructions that have received the most attention, including the reconstruction of Interstate 84 between Twin Falls and Jerome, U.S. 26/Idaho 46 intersection and Main Street in Gooding, and U.S. 30 through downtown Buhl.

Two off-system projects have consumed the majority of time of the Twin Falls Residency, however — phase two of the City of Rocks Back County Byway and Yale Road.

“We’ve been staying busy with those two,” Twin Falls Resident Engineer Kimbol Allen said.
As of the end of October, the final checklist of items was being completed for the City of Rocks to connect the National Reserve to Idaho 77 west of Malta. This federally earmarked project is now two-thirds complete with planning of the final 5.7 miles already in its final stages. Meanwhile, Yale Road had yet to see oil on the roadway.

A lot of things need to happen to put the finishing touches on that project.

“Yale Road has had quite a few problems with utilities, survey issues and other things not expected,” Allen said. “But paving begins (this) week and if we get a couple weeks of good weather we should be done by December.”

Allen also said with a hand-full of winter construction already started, the District 4 residencies won’t be done with the 2007 season for a while.

Current projects include a rehab to the Ridgeway Road I- 84 overpass, new traffic signal in Twin Falls and U.S. 26 junction with Avonmore Road.