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Boat check stations across the state are now open, including the one on Interstate 90 near Cedars, where inspectors found the greatest number of contaminated watercraft in 2018.

Primarily positioned near state borders, stations check for aquatic invasive species (AIS), such as zebra mussels, being transported between watersheds. Key to this effort is signage provided by the Idaho Transportation Department to advertise inspection opportunities and patrols by local law enforcement to ensure motorists remember to stop.

The stations are part of a larger effort by the Idaho State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) to prevent the spread of AIS.

“The spread of aquatic invasive species like the mussels would threaten the Idaho we know and love,” said Nic Zurfluh, a section manager for ISDA.

Invasive mussels are easily transported, and once attached to an area, can quickly take over and are hard to eradicate. Colonies clog pipes in water systems, threatening hydropower and irrigation for food, as well as municipal water supplies. When they take over a lake, it can quickly lose its recreational value.

“If quagga or zebra mussels were to infest Idaho’s waters, as they have done in other states, it could cost the state nearly $100 million annually in damage and lost revenue,” Zurfluh said.

Invasive mussels are thought to have been carried over by transoceanic shipping containers through ballast water in the late 1980s. They started in the Great Lakes, and since then, they have been transported down the Mississippi Basin and to the west.

Shortly after the invasive mussels were found in Arizona’s Lake Mead in 2007, Idaho began monitoring lakes and rivers.

“Now we’re seeing more overland transportation,” Zurfluh said.

The Columbia Basin is the remaining major watershed in the United States that has not been infested, inspiring a regional effort between Montana, Oregon, Washington, Idaho and even Canada to share data, outreach strategies and prevention efforts.

Fifty fouled watercraft—ranging from boats to kayaks to barges—were found across the state last year through 110,000 inspections, though none were carrying viable organisms. To date this year, 10 fouled boats have been found.

“The opportunity for prevention is alive and well,” Zurfluh said.

To protect Idaho’s waters, watercraft users can remember three simple rules: clean, dry and drain.

• CLEAN watercraft and equipment before leaving any waterbody.
• DRAIN water from all equipment.
• DRY all vessel compartments and lay equipment out to dry before using in a different body waterbody or watershed.

For those recreating in the Coeur d’Alene area, note that the Coeur d’Alene River and the St. Joe River are part of different watersheds, requiring extra care between trips. More information is available at: http://invasivespecies.idaho.gov/watercraft-inspection-stations.

Construction is expected to begin on Tuesday, April 30 on the Eastern Idaho Railroad crossing on Idaho Highway 25 south of Hunt at milepost 17.6.

Eastern Idaho Railroad crews will reconstruct the railroad crossing to improve safety and ease of travel for motorists in the area.

In order to complete this project, ID-25 will be closed from 7 a.m. April 30 until 6 p.m. May 1. Motorists will need to use routes along Interstate 84/US-93 or county roads during this timeframe.

Beginning next week, a project to repair 17 structures on US-95 from Plummer to Westmond will begin.

Repairs will include overlays and some demolition, although work and impacts will vary from bridge to bridge. Drivers can expect at least one lane open.

Prominent bridges include several structures near the ID-58 interchange, Bunco Road overpass and the Athol interchange. All work is expected to be completed after September.

Contractors are typically expected to be on site during weekdays. They will likely spend a few weeks at each bridge before moving on to the next, with some overlapping work possible.

Repairs to Bunco Road overpass near Silverwood will be done at night to minimize impacts to traffic. Those repairs are currently scheduled for July.

More information can be found online at itdprojects.org/us95bridges.

Beginning in late April, contractors will start removing hazard trees along two miles of Interstate 90 near Fourth of July Pass to enhance highway safety. Trees can be hazardous when they fall, shade roadways and cause icy conditions in winter as well as hide any approaching wildlife.

Work will last for approximately one month during which travelers can expect work on the shoulders. Trees on the eastbound side will be removed first, followed by trees on the westbound side. Impacts are expected to be limited to the two lanes closest to the work.

Drivers may encounter single-lane or possibly two-lane closures of I-90. Full closures will be less than 10 minutes and may be necessary when logging tall or dead trees near the interstate. Crews will determine the need for and timing of these closures on site.

The contractor will remove dead and dying trees from 200 acres of state property while also harvesting other trees in the area to cover operating costs.

“It’s important to do this work when we can because trees can fall on the road or act as obstacles when people drive off the road,” operations engineer Jerry Wilson said. “We’ve found a way to let experts remove these trees at no extra cost to the taxpayers, while enhancing their safety.”

In the past, ITD has hired help to remove trees that could not be safely removed with its own employees and equipment, with a recent contract charging $1,000 per tree.

“Given the number of trees that need to be removed in this section, that wasn’t feasible,” Wilson said. “If this process works well, ITD could continue to use similar partnerships to increase safety along the entire corridor.”

More details can be found by watching this video or by visiting itdprojects.org/i90trees.

Eastbound drivers on Interstate 90 can expect a single-lane closure near the Idaho Highway 41 exit as crews work on the weigh-in-motion concrete slab just west of the interchange.

The slow lane on eastbound I-90 is planned for closure through this weekend (April 19-21) and next weekend (April 26-28), with some nighttime restrictions possible between the planned weekend closures.

Work will help port of entry officials gain more accurate measurements from the scales by creating a smoother transition. Repairs are part of a larger project to improve bridges on I-90 and in Post Falls.

All bridge work is expected to be completed by early July and will be followed by another project to reduce rutting from the Washington-Idaho border to the Northwest Boulevard exit. Resurfacing will last until September.

Information on the bridge maintenance project can be found at itdprojects.org/i90bridgespf, and information on the resurfacing project can be found at itdprojects.org/i90statelineresurfacing.

Continued efforts by maintenance crews may allow US-12 between Greer and Kamiah to reopen tomorrow morning around 8 a.m.

“We are expecting some rain in the next day, but we are optimistic that there will be enough of a break in the weather to prevent more slides and allow us to reopen the road,” operations engineer Bob Schumacher said.

If there are no more slides, crews are on schedule to reopen the road, though there will be some restrictions. Drivers will be slowed to 35 mph for less than two miles near the worst slide area at milepost 63. That section of road is still covered by a thin layer of mud that could become slippery when wet.

Today crews continue to clear ditches, unclog culverts and haul material off the road. The highway will be monitored by maintenance forces over the weekend.

“Any time we have to close a road, we must find a balance between quickly reopening it and making sure it’s safe,” Schumacher said. “We thank drivers for their continued patience and hope to have the road open tomorrow.”

Motorists are advised to check for updates on 511.idaho.gov and to exercise caution while driving.

Work to repair six structures on Interstate 90 from Bennett Bay to Kellogg will start Monday, April 15.

Bridge decks on interstate ramps at Pine Creek in Pinehurst will be repaired first. A month-long detour to the Kingston exit is planned to be in place while crews work on the eastbound off-ramp.

Crews will move between bridges as they complete repairs, with the ramps at Pinehurst followed by the Airport Road overpass in Smelterville and the Bunker Avenue overpass in Kellogg. Bridges at Bennett Bay and the Kingston overpass are scheduled for improvements in May and June.

Work will pause for six weeks around July to allow water levels to lower so crews can apply protective paint to one structure in Pinehurst in August.

Bridges on the interstate may be reduced to one lane in each direction, and closures for structures over the interstate will vary with the location and availability of detours nearby. Drivers are advised to check 511.idaho.gov for the latest traffic impacts and to visit the website for more information.