Category: North

One month of repairs to the historical guardrail along Front Street and the stone wall that channelizes the South Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River in Wallace will begin Monday, July 12. Crews are expected to work Monday through Thursday and will detour westbound traffic around the construction on Front Street. Eastbound traffic on Front Street and access to the interstate will not be affected.

Work this year will focus on adding the historical metal railing to the top of the concrete guardrail, extending more of the sidewalk and finishing the wall, which must be done by hand when the water table is low. Crews will build scaffolding over the river to collect debris and use as a work platform. The temporary pavement on Front Street will be replaced with permanent pavement as well.

Construction from July to November of 2020 successfully removed the old wall and added concrete guardrail and sidewalk.

The Idaho Transportation Board has identified $18 million for widening of approximately three miles of Idaho Highway 3 north of St. Maries, with construction to start next fall.

Previously the board had approved $1.5 million for design, which began in April of 2020. Funding for construction comes from money that the department had held back last spring in anticipation of declining gas tax revenue during stay-at-home orders.

“Even with all the changes in 2020, we did not see a big drop in gas tax revenue, which is our primary source of funding,” Engineering Manager Marvin Fenn said. “Now we can use that money we held back to make our highways safer, as is the case with this widening project.”

Plans call for the highway to be widened by 11 feet to the east, making room for 11-foot travel lanes and 3-foot shoulders. To get this extra width, a lightweight, specialized product known as geofoam will be used.

Traditionally, highways are expanded by importing embankment material and building the base outwards, but ID-3 was built on soft soils. Extra weight would collapse the soft soils and cause settlement problems for the highway, and expanding outwards would affect nearby wetlands. The geofoam will allow expansion without adding weight or requiring land to be bought.

“Years ago we had tried to widen a longer section of the highway, but we couldn’t find a way to do it,” Fenn said.

Design plans are nearly complete. Benewah County Road and Bridge is in the process of preparing Goosehaven Road to serve as a detour during construction, which is expected to take several months next year.

“Although we’d like to see the project built this year, this extra time will allow for better bid prices, and we can start construction when the water table is at its lowest,” Fenn said. “The detour will also be ready, and the contractor will have more time to plan staging and get a head start on ordering specialized materials.”

Preliminary work this fall will relocate utilities and remove trees and vegetation.

Learn more at itdprojects.org/stmariesdike.

LEWISTON – The Idaho Transportation Board approved dozens of new road projects across every corner of the state Wednesday afternoon (May 19) during its regular monthly meeting in Lewiston. The projects include $350 million in construction work that is expected to begin sometime next year.

Many of the projects are part of Idaho Governor Brad Little’s “Leading Idaho” transportation funding solution.

“Idaho is the fastest growing state in the nation. To keep up with the demands of a fast-growing state, our historic transportation funding solution helps save Idahoans’ time, keeps us safe on our roads, and makes our state’s economy even stronger,” Governor Little said. “I appreciate the Idaho Transportation Board for acting quickly to put these new funds to work.”

Projects approved today that are ready now include $170 million of Transportation Expansion and Congestion Mitigation (TECM) funds to expand Idaho State Highway 16 from its current location at US-20/26 (Chinden Blvd.) to Interstate 84. The board also dedicated $37 million of TECM funds to expand US-20/26 to four lanes from Middleton Road to I-84. Both projects should be under construction next year and will likely be bonded.

In addition, the board approved about $140 million in projects with one-time funds from the Building Idaho’s Future program, along with federal and state COVID Relief funds. This statewide group of projects is focused on critical maintenance and safety needs for highways and bridges from Ashton in eastern Idaho, to the Magic Valley and north to Wallace.

Check this link to see the full list of projects approved across the state.

“We want to thank the Idaho Legislature and Governor for one of the most significant transportation investments in state history,” said Idaho Transportation Board Chairman Bill Moad. “Our goal as a board is to be great stewards of this funding. We will work with the department to pick the projects across Idaho that will have the greatest return on investment in improving safety, increasing mobility and addressing Idaho’s rapid growth.”

In addition to $350 million in construction that will begin next year, the board also approved nearly $170 million for project development. This includes environmental planning, design and right-of-way acquisition.

“Project development is very important. The Board wants the department to have projects ready for the Building Idaho’s Future program and to be constantly advancing additional work for any future federal or state funding opportunities,” said Idaho Transportation Board Chairman Bill Moad. “It is our goal to put the money to work as soon as it becomes available.”

The TECM fund was increased to $80 million through House Bill 362 signed by Governor Little earlier this month. The Idaho Transportation Department will leverage those ongoing funds into a Building Idaho’s Future bonding program that could yield as much as $1.6 billion. The goal is to have major safety and expansion corridors financed over the next six to eight years with the bond proceeds.

ITD staff will present potential projects and corridors to include in the bonding program to the Idaho Transportation Board by the end of this year.

The first of two bridges over the railroad on Idaho Highway 41 north of Hayden Avenue will open tomorrow. Work on the overpass began in June of 2020 and completing this structure is a major milestone in the effort to expand the highway to four lanes between Post Falls and Rathdrum.

With the bridge ready for use, traffic on ID-41 will shift from the existing roadway to the newly paved lanes between Prairie Avenue and Wyoming Avenue.

“Opening this first bridge is critical to moving on to the next phase of the project,” ITD Project Manager Mason Palmer said. “Now we can start building the second bridge and continue upgrading intersections.”

Immediately following the opening of the bridge, the closure of Hayden Avenue east of ID-41 will be lifted, but west of ID-41 the road will close until early August. Lancaster Road east of ID-41 will also close for that same timeframe. Local detours will be posted.

Intersections throughout the corridor will be partially closed during construction to allow crews to add capacity, update signals or install turning restrictions. Drivers are encouraged to sign up for email updates at itdprojects.org/id41corridor.

View specific plans at each intersection.

Paving operations have not yet begun for the southern half of the project, which kicked off earlier this year. Crews are currently in the process of relocating utilities and building the base of the future roadway.

“Generally speaking, we will build a new set of lanes to the east, switch traffic over to those lanes, and then rebuild the existing roadway,” Palmer said. “What drivers have historically traveled on will become two southbound lanes, and the two new lanes will carry northbound traffic.”

Traffic conditions and progress will vary throughout the corridor, but all work is scheduled to be complete in the fall of 2022. Improvements total $51.5 million, with another $5.7 million contributed by the cities of Post Falls and Rathdrum.

The Idaho Transportation Department is in the process of designing improvements to US-95 between Sagle and Sandpoint, with the first phase planned for construction this summer.

“This is one of the true concerns of Bonner County,” said Steve Klatt, the director for the Bonner County Road and Bridge Department. “It’s been a tremendously collaborative effort with Senator Jim Woodward and the Idaho Transportation Department, and I’m impressed at the traction we’re seeing on this project.”

Changes this year include adding acceleration lanes for drivers turning onto US-95 to head north or south. The existing center turn lane on US-95 will transition to a dedicated turn lane for northbound traffic accessing Lakeshore Drive, and dedicated lanes for different turning movements from Lakeshore Drive will be established.

Download a diagram of lane configurations at Lakeshore Drive.

“For years we’ve heard from local officials and drivers that they want that intersection made safer,” ITD Program Manager Bill Roberson said. “We’ve looked at the crash data and delay issues when talking with local representatives to identify a short-term solution.”

The second phase, scheduled for 2022, calls for the construction of a median U-turn for left-turning traffic from Lakeshore Drive. The department is also considering a median U-turn for left-turning traffic from Bottle Bay Road.

Download a diagram of the median U-turns.

“This mimics what we’re told a lot of drivers are already doing,” Roberson said.

While drivers would still have the option to turn left from Lakeshore Drive to head into town, with the median U-turn they could also turn right, and once further away from the congestion at end of the Long Bridge, use a new lane to make a U-turn near Bottle Bay and rejoin traffic.

These median turns would be similar to those on US-95 in Ponderay.

“Our goal is to reduce delays for drivers trying to turn on to the highway while also improving safety for drivers already on it,” Roberson said.

The last element to improve safety in the corridor, also planned for 2022, is a signal at Sagle Road. All modifications are estimated to cost $8 million to construct.

“We are still finalizing the details,” Roberson said. “We are trying to avoid restricting left turns from Lakeshore Drive onto US-95, but that could happen in the future. The good news is drivers will still be able to head north by using the median U-turn to the south.”

As highways in Idaho start to warm up this spring, they become more susceptible to damage from heavy traffic, prompting state and local transportation agencies to enforce seasonal restrictions. ITD has currently restricted several routes in North and East Idaho.

VIDEO: Congestion and repairs as a result of spring breakup.

Restrictions on state highways are noted on 511 and are put up days in advance to prepare drivers for congestion on their routes. They apply to trucks that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or more. On state highways, vehicles of this size are required to reduce their speeds to 30 mph and weigh no more than 14,000 pounds per axle. On U.S. highways, they still must reduce their speed to 30 mph but can weigh more in accordance with legally permitted loads. Spring breakup restrictions are not applied on interstates.

While they can cause significant congestion on highways with a mix of commercial and commuter traffic, restrictions are preventative measures that ultimately save drivers’ time and resources.

In the spring heavy loads can cause rapid deterioration of pavement. As temperatures increase, the frozen base underneath the road thaws and becomes saturated with water, which creates a weaker section below the pavement that can lead to potholes and cracks. Highways can even appear to pump water at this time of year.

Springtime damage may result in months of repairs in the summer, diverting maintenance dollars from being invested into other routes. The damage can also be so severe as to be beyond the scope of normal highway maintenance. Compare this cost to drivers with time spent following a slow truck or waiting for safe opportunities to pass.

Foremen across the state track conditions to know when to enact breakup limits. Restrictions are usually imposed on older highways with deteriorating bases that don’t drain moisture as well.

These seasonal restrictions are only in place as long as necessary and save taxpayer dollars from being spent on damage that could have been prevented.

This spring, practice patience on the road and protect our highways from unnecessary damage.