IDAHO NATIONAL TRANSPORTER Idaho
Transportation
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Ceremony unwraps new Caldwell interchange Building a modern freeway interchange is not what it used to be. Look at the Interstate 84 Franklin Interchange in Caldwell as an example. ITD removed the ribbon and bow from the new $24.8 million structure Tuesday during a morning ceremony that featured patriotic music and dignitaries pouring the final section of concrete for an adjacent sidewalk. Speakers for the event included Idaho Transportation Board Chairman Darrell Manning, Caldwell Mayor Garret Nancolas and Idaho Senate Transportation Chairman John McGee. The new four-lane roadway, with dual left turn lanes, replaces a two-lane structure built more than 40 years ago (1966). Connecting Franklin Road also was widened from two to five lanes on both sides of the overpass and includes curbs, gutters, sidewalks, a bicycle lane and new shoulders. A number of safety additions were incorporated into the project – new traffic signals at the Aviation Way/Franklin Road intersection, a 249-foot median barrier on Franklin Road and new truck approaches near the Flying J and Sage Travel plaza. “Safety and public convenience were big priorities for us during construction,” said ITD project coordinator Kelley Lower. “We required the contractor to keep all four interchange ramps open throughout the project. With 17,700 vehicles going through here every day, that helped us keep traffic moving.” The new interchange can efficiently move nearly 30,000 vehicles per day. What does it take to complete such a structure during the course of three construction seasons? How about…
The project included 18 subcontractors in addition to the prime contractor, Concrete Placing Company, Inc. Published 7-11-8 |