April 28, 2020 update: The eastbound bridge, not the westbound bridge, will receive repairs first this season.
Repairs to the bridges on Interstate 90 over Blue Creek Bay will resume this Wednesday, April 29. The repairs will extend the service life of these structures for another fifty years.
Over the last two summers, extensive work to protect the underwater support structures was completed, and temporary joints to allow the bridges to expand and contract with the weather were installed. This season the contractor will finish the driving surface of the 1,400-foot-long bridges. Repairs are expected to be underway until August.
Work will start on the westbound bridge. Traffic will be shifted to the eastbound bridge and reduced to one lane in each direction. Once the westbound bridge is finished, it will carry traffic so crews can continue work on the eastbound bridge.
Another project in the next five years is now planned to replace the temporary joints with permanent ones.
“We understand that this project has affected drivers as they head to the national forest or to the lake on their summer weekends,” Resident Engineer Ryan Hawkins said. “Although we originally planned to install joints that would last another fifty years, we decided to postpone that part of the project to shorten the construction season and reduce our impact to drivers.”
The follow-up project will be scheduled once design is complete and funding has been identified.
Approximately 3.5 miles of I-90 from the bridges to the bottom of Fourth of July Pass, including some ramps at the junction with Idaho Highway 97, will be resurfaced during the month of June and create a longer work zone. For information on other construction projects, visit itdprojects.org.