All lanes of Interstate 90 over Blue Creek Bay will reopen in November for the upcoming winter season. The speed limit will revert back to 65 mph, but drivers should expect a rougher traveling surface until repairs to both bridges are complete.
Underwater work will continue until the lake drops to freezing temperatures, and crews will return in early spring next year to finish repairs. ITD anticipates project completion in summer 2020.
“When work concludes for this season, we’ll be around 90 percent done,” said Ryan Hawkins, resident engineer for ITD.
Since work began in spring 2018, crews have focused on the supporting structures underneath and replacing the upper portion of the concrete decks with new concrete. Construction challenges have hindered progress on the bridges, requiring a third season of work that was not originally planned.
“Although we are close to being done, it’s more important to do it right and wait for better weather conditions,” Hawkins said. “It’s a good investment—after we’re done, the bridges will last another fifty years.”
Next year, permanent joints to allow portions of the bridge to safely expand and contract with the weather will be completed, and the final driving surface will be put down.
Record Steel & Construction, Inc. is the primary contractor on this $10.9-million project.
Starting Wednesday, October 9, traffic will be detoured around a closure on Idaho Highway 97 nine miles north of Harrison as contractors repair damage from a March 2017 slide.
The detour will last for three weeks, with drivers directed to Asbury Road and Half Round Bay Road as alternate routes.
Work includes excavating underneath the highway at milepost 76.9 and adding material to support the slope before replacing the pavement.
Repairs are partially weather-dependent, so drivers are advised to check 511.idaho.gov for the latest impacts.
Drill crews will gather soil samples near the junction of I-90 and ID-41 in Post Falls through the month of October to gather data for the interchange’s redesign.
Sample collection will affect drivers next week (Sept. 30) as crews start working nights.
Nighttime work between 7:30 p.m. and 5:30 a.m. will require single-lane closures on the highway and Seltice Avenue for one week. Drills will then move to the interstate, with one to three weeks of nighttime, single-lane closures possible.
No work will take place on weekends, and on- and off-ramps will remain at least partially open.
The interchange is planned to start construction in 2023, with another opportunity for public comment scheduled for this winter. To learn more about the new design for the interchange, visit itdprojects.org/id41corridor.
Final repairs will begin next week to US-95 near Rock Creek north of Bonners Ferry to address the failing slope, depending on weather and the completion of the contractor’s other slide repairs at milepost 498 near Naples.
Work will last through mid-October and will involve excavating material and installing drains to stabilize the area. A temporary signal will control traffic through the single-lane work zone.
Since the area first slid in April 2017, it has experienced additional rock fall, further undermining the pavement. Maintenance crews provided barriers and signage near the slide while the final fix was designed. To identify why the hillside continued to move and to what extent, ITD authorized a geotechnical investigation and monitored the movement.
To learn more about how ITD responds to slides, visit itdprojects.org/us95rockcreek.
Work has started to further connect Garwood and Athol by building nine miles of a paved shared use path along the east side of US-95 to tie into existing facilities.
Construction will last until late October with minimal impacts to drivers. A shoulder or lane closure on US-95 near Garwood in late September might be necessary for guardrail work along the highway.
The new path is planned to be 12 feet wide and will allow bicyclists and pedestrians to reach Farragut State Park and Silverwood from Coeur d’Alene.
Other project features include flashing beacons and raised concrete refuge islands at crossings near Abbott Road interchange, Bunco Road interchange, Parks Road and Idaho Highway 54.
A small portion of the path near Garwood will not be built until the new overpass is constructed in 2020/2021. Until that section is built, pedestrians and cyclists are encouraged to use Pope Road to access the next section.
For more information, visit itdprojects.org/us95garwoodpath.
The signal at US-95 and ID-53 is planned for removal starting Monday, August 26 to allow construction of a new interchange at that location to improve traffic flow between Garwood and Sagle.
View a video of the design for the US-95, ID-53 interchange.
The removal process will take approximately three nights, during which US-95 will be reduced to one lane in each direction from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. Idaho Highway 53 will also be closed to the west of the intersection as crews replace the bridge over the railroad and realign the highway to tie into the new interchange.
Starting Monday night, traffic will be detoured around the ID-53 closure via Old US-95 to Garwood Road to access US-95. This closure is expected to last until fall 2020 when the new railroad bridge and interchange open to traffic.
Government Way will continue to be closed at the US-95 intersection.
This project is part of a larger vision to maximize mobility on US-95 between Garwood Road and Sagle. Since construction began in July, a temporary signal has been installed at ID-53 and Ramsey Road to accommodate the change in traffic patterns, and ID-53 has been widened.
In 2020 and 2021, frontage roads and an overpass at Garwood Road will be constructed as part of this project. Total improvements, though not all awarded to contractors, are funded primarily with an estimated $41 million from the GARVEE program and another $13.9 million in federal aid.
Email updates are available at itdprojects.org/us95id53.
Idaho Transportation Department maintenance workers will repair US-95 near the Lincoln Avenue/Walnut Avenue intersection for the next two weeks.
Work will start Monday, July 29 at the US-95 interchange with Northwest Boulevard. Drivers leaving the downtown area on Northwest Boulevard will not be able to take the northbound ramp to US-95 for approximately two days as it is repaved. The ramp will open at night, but during the day drivers will be directed to use Lacrosse Avenue as a detour to the highway.
After ramp work is complete, crews will patch the bridge deck. One lane in each direction will be open, but drivers should expect short delays when traffic must be stopped to move equipment on and off the bridge. Drivers will also not be able to turn left from US-95 onto Northwest Boulevard.
Work will progress north to the Lincoln Avenue/Walnut Avenue intersection. Flaggers at the intersection will guide alternating traffic.
Repairs will address the deteriorating pavement in advance of the planned intersection redesign, which has been delayed to 2026 as part of an update to ITD’s seven-year program.
The program is out for public comment until Aug. 2.
Construction is underway on Idaho Highway 53, reducing the highway to one lane with flaggers on scene as crews widen the shoulders between US-95 and Ramsey Road.
Lane closures are expected during the day for approximately two weeks, and trees west of US-95 will also be removed to accommodate a new alignment for ID-53.
This is the beginning of construction to reconfigure several roadways near the current US-95 junctions with ID-53 and Garwood Road north of Hayden, with project completion planned for fall 2021.
Work in August includes the installation of a temporary signal at ID-53 and Ramsey Road to help with extra traffic during later detours. Signal installation is scheduled to take a week, with intermittent lane closures and flaggers expected in the area at that time. A permanent signal will be placed in 2022 under a different project.
Following the temporary signal installation, traffic will be detoured in late August as the bridge over the railroad and the new interchange for US-95 and ID-53 are built, with work expected to end fall 2020.
View a video of the design for the US-95, ID-53 interchange.
Traffic on US-95 will not be impacted for the majority of construction, but traffic on ID-53 will be detoured around the bridge and interchange construction to Garwood Road via Old US-95.
In 2020 and 2021, frontage roads and an overpass at Garwood Road will be constructed. Total improvements, though not all awarded to contractors, are funded primarily with an estimated $41 million from the GARVEE program and another $13.9 million in federal aid.
Email updates are available by subscribing at itdprojects.org/us95id53.
Traffic on US-95 will be reduced to one lane as repairs to a slide near Naples start Monday, July 15.
Temporary signals and flaggers will control traffic over the next two months as crews excavate the existing slope and place rocks to improve drainage and stabilize the hill.
Work this week will improve Starlight Road for use during construction but will not affect US-95 traffic.
The hill slid onto the road in March 2017 and was captured on video by an ITD employee.
Watch the video.
Earlier improvements to the slide area included removing material, installing a barrier to catch debris and investigating subsurface conditions. Permanent repairs were designed and bid last fall, with construction timed this year to avoid springtime moisture and high water tables.
Read more about emergency repairs online at itdprojects.org/us95naplesslide.
Two projects will begin this week in the Coeur d’Alene area.
- Nighttime resurfacing of Interstate 90 between the state line and the Northwest Boulevard exit will eliminate rutting. Starting Wednesday night (July 10), drivers can expect single-lane closures on I-90, with the first lane closed in the eastbound direction. Ramps will be closed as they are repaved. Conditions will revert to normal during the day, with resurfacing lasting until September. More information is available atorg/statelineresurfacing.
- A two-year project to maximize mobility on US-95 in CDA and Hayden will start today (July 8) with surveying of the adjacent path. Traffic impacts are not expected until the following week when ADA upgrades begin. Changes are funded by a $5.1 million federal grant with match money from ITD, the city of Coeur d’Alene and the city of Hayden to create uniform signal spacing and add capacity on side streets. Lane closures will be possible during turn lane construction, and turning/through movements will not be allowed at non-signalized intersections during and after curbed median installation. Pedestrians and bicyclists will be affected for most of the season with detours and closed crosswalks. Work this year is planned to end in November. More information, specifically on scheduling and pedestrian impacts, is available at org/us95intersections.
Travelers may subscribe for email updates on the US-95 intersections project online. Traffic impacts across the state are available at 511.idaho.gov.
