Exit 201 on Interstate 84 will close on Tuesday (May 18) for ten days as construction begins to resurface eight miles of Idaho Highway 25 from the I-84 interchange to Paul.
All ramps at Exit 201 and ID-25 underneath the interstate will be closed from May 18 through May 27* to allow for crews to reconstruct the roadway. Drivers on I-84 will need to use Exits 194 or 208 during this time. County roads will not be affected.
“Closing the ramps and a small section of ID-25 underneath the interstate will allow our crews to safely and efficiently complete work in the area,” ITD Project Manager Sam Purser said. “This project will provide a better driving surface for motorists and help extend the life of the roadway.”
Work on ID-25 north of the interchange will also start on Monday (May 17). This work will reduce the highway to one lane during working hours, which are scheduled Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Outside of working hours, all lanes will be open.
Construction will take until August to complete.
*This closure was originally expected to take place from May 15 through May 25 but will now occur at a later date. Residents may have received a postcard with the original anticipated dates.
The Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) will host a public meeting for the US-93, 300 South project to share the latest information about plans to expand US-93 to four lanes between 200 South and 400 South in Jerome County. This will be the fourth and final expansion of US-93 in the area and will provide a safer roadway for commercial and non-commercial vehicles.
The meeting will be held in an open house format on Wednesday, May 12 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Idaho Fish and Game, Magic Valley Regional Office located at 324 South 417 East in Jerome. Members of the public are invited to drop in anytime during the open house to view display boards and talk with the project team.
In accordance with COVID-19 guidelines, the number of attendees will be limited to 50 people at one time. ITD personnel will adhere to best practices during the public meeting and requests that individuals who attend follow recommended guidance relating to COVID-19.
An online version of the meeting will also be available for those who cannot attend on May 12. The online meeting will be available from May 13 to 27 on the project website at: itdprojects.org/projects/us-93-300-south-road.
Individuals who are not feeling well are encouraged to participate in the online meeting instead of attending in person.
Comments will be accepted through June 4, 2021.
Attending the public open house is not a requirement for submitting a comment. Comments can also be submitted via:
For the safety of drivers, traffic must be stopped in the surrounding area while blasting occurs within the ITD right of way. Traffic on I-84 will not be impacted, but drivers will not be able to take the eastbound off ramp at Exit 168 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. as it will be closed. A section of South Lincoln Road will also be closed during this time.
Carefully controlled blasting is necessary for the construction of a new stormwater pond in the area.
“This operation will have a brief impact to traffic,” stated ITD Project Manager Brock Dillé. “We are prepared for a closure of three hours but may be able to open the roadways sooner than that.”
After blasting, crews will ensure the roadway is safe and free of all debris before reopening to traffic.
Dillé explains that timing of this work is very important.
“We have to blast during daylight hours, but we are very conscious of the impact it will have on drivers, which is why we are blasting in the evening after peak hours.”
ITD is asking motorists to consider alternate routes while this activity is underway. Electronic message boards and signage will be placed in the area in advance of the event.
Western Construction of Boise is the general contractor on this project that is expected to be complete in July.
Next week, the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) will begin a two-phase project on Idaho Highway 75 (Main Street) in Hailey between Fox Acres Road and Cobblestone Lane.
The first phase will begin Monday, May 3. Crews will update pedestrian ramps and crossings to meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards. The second phase of the project, which is expected to begin in July, will rehabilitate the roadway.
“At this point in time, the weather is still too variable for us to work on the roadway,” ITD Project Manager Steve Hunter said. “Because of this, we will first address the ADA ramps and then move onto roadway construction later in the summer.”
Only one ramp per intersection will be constructed at a time to lessen impacts to pedestrians. No work is scheduled to occur on the pedestrian ramps or roadway during the July 4 holiday.
“We understand that the City of Hailey is a renowned tourist destination and we will be working closely with our crews to reduce impacts to the community as much as possible,” Hunter said.
ITD will hold a public meeting ahead of the roadway rehabilitation to share with business owners and residents what can be expected during construction, which will last through the summer.
Knife River is the primary contractor on this $3.4 million project.
This Wednesday, westbound Interstate 84 will be reduced to a single lane from milepost 216 – 220. This reduction is expected to be in place for 10 days so crews can perform work relating to construction of the new Port of Entry facility east of Declo.
“We are at the beginning stages of this construction project which will relocate the Cotterel Port of Entry to a new site that provides a safer traveling experience for all drivers,” said ITD Project Manager Sam Purser.
The new location on I-84 will facilitate more efficient trucking operations through advanced technology and will meet current federal compliance standards.
Elements of the new facility will include: new westbound on and off ramps, support of utility infrastructure, scales with weigh-in-motion and automated vehicle identification technologies, video equipment, lighting, signage and operations office buildings.
“Most of the work will occur off the interstate and have minimal impacts to traffic,” stated Purser. “Some work, however, will require us to reduce lanes along I-84 in order to tie the newly constructed infrastructure into the interstate.”
Motorists are advised to check 511 before traveling for updated traffic impacts.
Knife River is the general contractor on this project that is expected to be complete next summer.
Repairs to structures along I-84 in South-central Idaho are expected to begin Monday, April 26.
Over the coming months, ITD will resurface thirteen bridges and nine overpasses, as well as perform other minor maintenance activities, to keep them in service longer. For most bridges, traffic will be reduced to one lane. As work shifts from one bridge to another, traffic patterns will also change. Drivers should expect reduced speeds throughout the area and watch for crews during working hours.
Two overpasses in Minidoka County will be completely closed during construction.
“The overpasses at 500 West and Meridian Road will be closed for about three weeks, but not at the same time,” ITD project manager Bruce Christensen said. “These detours are expected in late May and mid-June.”
As those closures approach, another release will be sent.
Closing the two overpasses will allow crews to complete work sooner, reducing project costs and lessening the overall impacts to travelers.
Construction on all bridges is expected to be finished by October of this year. The general contractor is Cannon Builders.
Drivers can expect additional lane restrictions near Jerome next week as crews from the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) perform a routine bridge inspection on Interstate 84.
On April 15 crews will inspect the bridge located near milepost 163. They will examine the bridge deck and deploy ITD’s under-bridge inspection truck from the eastbound lanes of I-84 and from the county road on the north side of the interstate.
Traffic will be reduced to one lane while inspections are underway. Work is expected to take place from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
“We will begin with a left-lane closure in the I-84 eastbound lanes and then alternate to a right-lane closure as our inspection progresses,” said ITD Bridge Inspector Amy Bower. “These lane restrictions are separate from the nearby work zone between Jerome and Twin Falls, so it’s important that drivers are attentive when traveling on this section of I-84.”
Drivers are urged to exercise caution near the work zones and watch for crew members and equipment. ITD appreciates the patience and cooperation of those driving through the area.
The replacement of the US-20 culvert at Rock Creek with a bridge and the resulting environmental and economic improvements recently won second place in the Engineering Excellence awards in the American Civil Engineers Council (ACEC) of Idaho annual awards, Water Resources Category in partnership with design firm Jacobs Engineering.
The project finished in December 2020. ITD was notified of the award on Jan. 14, 2021.
The bridge was recently constructed on US-20 in south-central Idaho where only a culvert previously existed. The multi-plate culvert at Rock Creek had reached the end of its useful life and was showing signs of compromise in the flowline. The decision to construct a new bridge to replace the culvert over Rock Creek also addressed other needs. First and foremost, the new bridge remedied the failing multi-plate culverts. The bridge also aided in safety by removing the steep roadway slope section, which had created erosion and maintenance challenge.
ITD was able to restore the streams to a more natural condition, which in turn should have a positive effect on the surrounding ecosystem. Building the bridge had less of an impact on the environment than replacing the existing multi-plate culvert. In addition, the new bridge will aid in restoring the habitat to allow unrestricted migration of wildlife and flow of the waterways. Establishing the stream channel under the new bridge helped restore the stream for habitat and encourage safe fish passage under the highway.
Allowing wildlife to pass under the highway also reduces the risk of possible accidents involving wildlife and motorists on the roadway. This section of US-20 has seen 64 vehicle-wildlife collisions over the last five years, which has a societal cost of approximately $2 million when you consider vehicle repair or replacement, medical bills, and raised insurance rates.
This was one of ITD’s first projects incorporating Fabric Encapsulated Soil Lifts (FESL) into a design, an innovative way to efficiently ensure streambank stability during multiple water levels. The FESL allowed ITD to create a stable bank while still promoting vegetative growth.
The project has already improved the environment while enhancing the safety and the natural beauty of the project area. Just a few months after construction, fish were seen swimming upstream to spawn, while several deer (and a moose) were seen traveling ong the channels under the bridges.
The economic impact of the work is also significant, as US-20 is one of the longest routes connecting east and west Idaho in support of oversized commercial traffic
Spring construction picks back up on Idaho Highway 55 between Smiths Ferry and the Rainbow Bridge Monday, March 15. The Idaho Transportation Department’s project will widen shoulders, add guardrail, and straighten this curvy one-mile stretch of highway to improve safety. Watch the video below to see the project.
Earlier this month, crews removed snow and set up construction equipment in the canyon. Starting March 15, travelers should plan for full road closures Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., due to controlled rock blasting needed to widen the road. When ID-55 is not closed, there will be one-way alternating traffic with 15-minute delays. This work schedule is expected through May, when crews will transition into summer operations.
Drivers traveling through the Interstate 84/86 interchange this week should plan extra time for several different detours. Detours will be in place between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. and will vary depending on what work is being done.
Both eastbound and westbound traffic will be affected, with all of these detours routing motorists off the interstate.
“It’s necessary for us to detour traffic in order to complete installation of overhead signs at the newly constructed interchange,” ITD Project Manager Travis Hitchcock said. “The direction motorists are traveling through the interchange will determine which detour they will be directed to take.”
“These detours will not all be in place at the same time,” Hitchcock said. “We will only be detouring traffic that would otherwise be passing underneath the area where the signs are being installed at the time. This will help ensure the safety of both site workers and the traveling public while work is underway.”
Drivers are urged to pay close attention to signage and message boards that will be in place to direct them through the area.
Wadsworth Brothers Construction, of Draper, Utah, is the primary contractor on this project.
