Category: Safety

On Monday (Sept. 12), the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) will close the westbound Interstate 84 Bliss rest area until further notice due to a damaged waterline.

“We have been working to fix the line but have determined that more extensive repairs are needed,” ITD Maintenance Foreman Phil Etchart explained.

A timeframe for how long the rest area will be closed is not currently known.

“Our crews work hard to maintain rest areas for the benefit of travelers,” ITD Facility Manager Shawn Webb stated. “Our goal is to repair the line and reopen this location as soon as possible.”

The Bliss rest area facility located eastbound on I-84 will not be impacted and will remain open.

The statuses of rest areas can be found by visiting 511.idaho.gov.

Over the next two weeks, US-95 will be paved in Bonners Ferry and the first season of the construction project will be substantially complete between Alderson Lane and Eisenhower Street.

Daytime paving will happen Monday – Thursday (Sept. 12-15), with work focused primarily on the northbound lane as well as some paving on the southbound lane. Access to businesses will be temporarily blocked while paving happens near driveways. The construction team will try to minimize impacts as much as possible. Friday night (Sept. 16) crews will finish paving the center lane. Once paving is complete, workers will adjust the manholes, stripe the highway and open all lanes back up to traffic.

Some work will continue until October to finish landscaping and to replace temporary wood railing near the north end of the project with permanent railing. Through the fall and winter, utilities will continue moving their infrastructure to prepare for the second and final season of work on this project. Next year, work will improve Eisenhower Street to Labrosse Hill Street and is anticipated to take from March to October 2023 to complete.

This project is the next phase of work that originally began in 2018 to rebuild US-95 through town with a continuous center turn lane and pedestrian facilities on both sides. More information is available at

Work has now been rescheduled to the following week. For the exact start date, drivers should refer to message signs placed on the highway closer to construction or 511.

Nighttime repairs will start again on the U.S. Highway 95 bridge over the Spokane River, with work beginning on Wednesday, Sept. 14. Drivers heading downtown after 7 p.m. over the next two months should plan for congestion.

Last summer crews sealed the driving surface and began work on the railing. This fall crews will replace the railing as well expansion joints that allow the structure to expand and contract with the weather.

“Generally drivers should only have to contend with the shoulders being closed, but there will be a few weeks when the contractor is working on the joints that we’ll also close a lane,” ITD Project Manager Cole Mosman said.

Construction this year will be followed by a larger project in 2023 that will repair the concrete piers and paint the underside of the bridge.

Find live traffic impacts at 511.idaho.gov.

Drivers can expect lane restrictions and possible delays near Twin Falls to begin next week as crews from the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) clean the deck and perform routine biannual inspections on the Perrine Bridge.

On Sunday, Sept. 11, crews will begin overnight cleaning operations on the bridge deck. This work is expected to continue through Thursday, Sept. 15, between the hours of 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. Traffic will be reduced to a single lane in either direction while cleaning is underway.

“When it is possible and safe to do so, we perform work at night to help lessen congestion in the area,” ITD Maintenance Foreman Chuck Sharp stated.

From Monday, Sept. 19, through Thursday, Sept. 22, crews will walk the arch and deploy ITD’s under bridge inspection truck along the bridge deck.

Traffic will be reduced to one lane in either direction while crew members are utilizing the inspection truck. Work will occur at non-peak hours to help reduce congestion and is expected to follow the below schedule:

– Northbound Right Lane Closure: Monday – Tuesday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
– Southbound Right Lane Closure: Wednesday – Thursday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The left northbound lane will also be intermittently closed for 15 minutes at a time each day while workers access and exit the lower half of the structure.

Pedestrian access may be subject to short restrictions during portions of the inspection. Motorists should consider using an alternate route between the hours listed above. The schedule is subject to change pending weather conditions.

Click here for a photo of the bridge.

“The Perrine Bridge is a vital structure in the region and serves as a connector for thousands of motorists each day,” ITD Bridge Inspector Amy Bower said. “Inspections and routine maintenance projects play an important role in ensuring the bridge’s longevity for many years to come.”

Drivers are urged to exercise caution near the work zone and watch for crew members and equipment. ITD appreciates the patience and cooperation of those driving through the area.

Next week conditions will change in the I-90 work zone where the freeway is being repaved between Wallace and Mullan, with funding for the project provided by “Leading Idaho.” All traffic will shift from the eastbound lanes to the westbound lanes by the end of the week.

“This roughly marks the halfway point of the project,” ITD Project Manager Cole Mosman said. “We’re keeping traffic to one lane in each direction and moving it to other side of the freeway so we can get to the remaining work.”

Eastbound ramps that were closed with the first phase of paving will now be open, but drivers heading westbound will only be able to get on or off at Exit 62 in Wallace or Exit 69 in Mullan.

“We want to remind drivers to stay engaged, especially through work zones,” Mosman said. “All season long we have seen drivers become impatient and try to pass. Passing isn’t allowed in the work zone and trying to do so can have terrible consequences.”

Construction began in mid-July to repave this 5-mile section. This next phase of work also includes the building of an 85-foot-long wall and fencing at milepost 67 to protect drivers from potential rockfall.

These improvements were added to the project after boulders fell down a steep chute onto the freeway during two separate events in June and November of 2020.

The project was originally scheduled to be constructed in 2024 but was advanced to this summer with funds from Governor Brad Little’s “Leading Idaho” investment, which includes a one-time transfer from the state’s budget surplus of $126 million dedicated in 2021 by the Idaho Legislature.

Work will wrap up in late October.

Other work zones on I-90 include paving near the bottom of Fourth of July Pass, bridge replacements in Kellogg and a range of smaller projects to address bridges, concrete barrier and ramps. Drivers should plan extra time for commuting and check 511.idaho.gov for traffic conditions and restrictions on up to seven planned work zones east of CDA this summer.

More than 80 oversized loads will depart the Port of Lewiston bound for Canada over the next 2.5 months, with the first load scheduled to leave next week. Richards Transportation is in the process of delivering windmill blades to Jenner, Alberta, with the largest loads measuring up to 325 feet long and weighing 137,000 pounds.

“This first load is the only one currently scheduled and will provide an opportunity to refine the transportation plans,” Operations Engineer Jared Hopkins said. “After the initial run, we expect operations to increase in frequency.”

Nine loads will depart each week in groups of three from the Port of Lewiston to travel north on U.S. Highway 95 to Coeur d’Alene before heading east on Interstate 90 into Montana. Three loads are expected to leave every other day, with each individual load departing roughly 30 minutes apart.

Click here to see an oversized windmill load.

Pilot cars will escort each load on the one-night journey, with flaggers in place to close the following intersections:

• State Highway 128 and US-12/US-95 in Lewiston
  • US-95 and Lincoln Avenue/Walnut Way in Coeur d’Alene
  • the I-90 and US-95 interchange in Coeur d’Alene.

Drivers can expect delays as the loads move through these intersections at night. The transportation company arranged for a new on-ramp to help oversized loads make the turn from northbound US-95 onto eastbound I-90 in Coeur d’Alene. This ramp will not be open for other traffic. Traffic on the interstate will be slowed down by pilot cars to allow each load to merge.

Given the length of the loads, navigating to and through Moscow will be especially slow-going and will require significant closures.

The two-lane section of US-95 between Thorn Creek and Moscow will be closed as loads travel through for an estimated 30 minutes each. Timing of the closures will vary but could start around 9 p.m. Traffic will be allowed to pass before each subsequent closure.

“That section of US-95 is windy and narrow, and the loads will not be able to make those turns without taking up part of the oncoming lane, so we are shutting it down,” Hopkins said.

Each night loads depart the port, no parking will be allowed in Moscow starting at 6 p.m. on the following streets:

• Washington Street north of the US-95/SH-8 intersection to where southbound and northbound US-95 reconnects at the north end of Moscow.
  • Near the Main Street and A Street intersection.

While loads move through Moscow on US-95/Washington Street, traffic will be unable to pass. It could take up to an hour for each load to pass through.

“Given the extreme length of these loads and how narrow the highway section is in Moscow, the transport company will move each load at walking pace with staff on the ground to ensure that nothing next to the road is damaged,” Hopkins said.

Weather may impact the schedule. Traffic impacts will be identified on 511.idaho.gov.