RIGBY – The Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) are initiating an Environmental Assessment (EA) to engage the public and evaluate impacts, risks, benefits, opportunities and costs associated with roadway improvements and reconstruction of US-20 between Chester and Ashton. The public is invited to attend an upcoming meeting to learn more about the EA and provide input.
A public meeting will be held Tuesday, June 11 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Ashton Community Center, 925 Main Street, Ashton, ID. The meeting is in an open-house format, so citizens are encouraged to attend any time during the three-hour period. Displays illustrating the study process, purpose, schedule, and geography will be available for review. Project staff will be available to provide information, discuss potential impacts, and answer questions about the study.
The Chester-to-Ashton segment of US-20 has not been redesigned since 1932. The current roadway design does not provide sufficient traffic flow or passing opportunities to accommodate growing traffic volumes. The pavement is also beyond routine service life, requiring improvements to the subgrade and drainage features as well as new pavement. Reconstruction also will provide the opportunity to include design elements for reducing crashes.
“ITD and FHWA’s purpose in preparing an EA is to develop and evaluate one or more practicable alternatives for addressing the needs of US-20 between Chester and Ashton,” said ITD’s eastern Idaho project manager Drew Meppen. “We look forward to visiting with the public and getting feedback on the project purpose and need, issues they are experiencing on the highway, and suggested alternatives for improvements.”
If citizens are unable to attend the meeting on June 11, displays and information will be available on the EA website the following day (https://itdprojects.org/projects/us20-chester-to-ashton-ea/). Comments on the materials can be sent to Andrea Gumm at agumm@langdongroup.inc or 208-220-5937. Comments are most helpful if received by July 11, 2019.
FHWA is the lead agency for the EA. The EA is being completed in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). For more information, please contact Gumm at the phone number or email address provided above.
Starting next week, contractors will begin constructing temporary lanes for a project to replace a bridge and realign curves on one mile east of Potlatch on Idaho Highway 6.
Work will start near Gold Creek as crews build temporary lanes around the existing structure to be used during its replacement. These temporary lanes will be in place from late June until the bridge is completed in late October.
Once the temporary lanes are completed, crews will start moving dirt for realignment of the highway. Work will progress from town towards the bridge, with most earthwork occurring off the existing road.
Speed will be reduced during construction due to trucks entering and exiting the highway and the temporary alignment over Gold Creek. Flaggers will periodically reduce the highway to one lane. Two lanes will be open outside of work hours.
Work to widen a sharp curve in Potlatch will begin in early October. Drivers should expect only one lane with flaggers during the day and two lanes with gravel surfaces during non-working hours.
Construction is set to be complete by the end of October. Learn more at itdprojects.org/id6potlatchcurves.
As part of ongoing construction to repair bridges on Interstate 90 and overpasses in Post Falls, crews will close two ramps at Spokane Street this weekend and next week to apply a sealing treatment to protect the driving surface.
The westbound on-ramp will be closed the weekend of Friday, June 7 but will be open for the morning commute on Monday, June 10. Following that closure, the eastbound off-ramp will be closed Monday night (June 10) through Friday night (June 14). Nighttime closures are planned from approximately 7:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m.
Conditions on I-90 near the Huetter and Atlas bridges are expected to revert back to normal by the end of this week but work will continue on overpasses at night until early July.
Another project to reduce rutting from the Washington-Idaho border to the Northwest Boulevard exit in CDA will begin in July and 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.
The public is invited to an open house on Tuesday, June 11 to learn about plans to widen and repair the Clearwater Memorial Bridge.
The open house will be at the Red Lion Hotel (621 21st Street) from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Community members will have an opportunity to learn about the project, which is scheduled to start construction in 2023.
“The existing structure was built in 1951, and some of its components are nearing the end of their service life,” ITD project manager Curtis Arnzen said. “ITD is making major plans to improve the bridge to ensure that it will serve the region for many years into the future.”
Plans include widening the shoulders and sidewalks over the structure, as well as creating a wider median to divide lanes.
For more information and to comment online after the meeting, visit itdprojects.org/us12memorialbridge.
UPDATE (June 11)
I-84 detours in Nampa have been extended due to equipment-related delays during the Karcher Overpass girder placement. A detour will be in place Tuesday and Wednesday nights (June 11 and 12) between the Karcher/Midland and Northside Boulevard interchanges.
- Eastbound I-84 will be closed overnight Tuesday, June 11. A detour will begin at 10 p.m. Tuesday and end at 5 a.m. Wednesday, June 12.
- Westbound I-84 will be closed overnight Wednesday, June 12. A detour will begin at 10 p.m. Wednesday and end at 6 a.m. Thursday, June 13.
Original Story (June 4)
ITD will require overnight closures on Interstate 84 in Nampa next Tuesday and Wednesday nights (June 10 and 11) to place girders on the new Karcher Road Overpass.
- Eastbound I-84 will be closed overnight Monday, June 10. A detour will begin at 10 p.m. Monday and end at 5 a.m. Tuesday, June 11.
- Westbound I-84 will be closed overnight Tuesday, June 11. A detour will begin at 10 p.m. Tuesday and end at 6 a.m. Wednesday, June 12.
Motorists will follow a detour route on Karcher Road both nights. See detour map below.
“ITD will place 10 steel girders over the two nights. Each girder is 136 feet long and weighs approximately 115,670 pounds,” said Alex Deduck, ITD Design/Construction Engineer. “This is no small operation and we appreciate the patience of the traveling public during the detour.”
ITD is replacing the Karcher Overpass to accommodate additional lanes on I-84. Construction to widen I-84 will begin later this summer.
For more information, visit itdprojects.org/84Corridor, text 84CORRIDOR to 22828 or listen to “Drive Idaho,” ITD’s new podcast series on I-84. Drive Idaho is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other major podcast players.
Work is expected to begin Monday, June 10 on Salmon Falls Creek Bridge near Banbury Hot Springs in Twin Falls County. During construction, ITD will replace the US-30 bridge structure, rebuild approaches, and replace associated guardrail. Construction on the project is expected to be complete by next spring.
The current bridge has exceeded its life expectancy. The new structure will be both wider and longer – accommodating two 12-foot lanes in each direction. A left-turn lane will also be added as part of this project.
Traffic on this section of US-30 will be reduced to one lane through the work zone with a temporary traffic signal in place. Motorists may encounter minor delays and are cautioned to watch for crews during working hours – Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The general contractor is RSCI from Boise.
Maintenance on Veterans Memorial Bridge over Bennett Bay is scheduled to begin today, June 3, with work requiring lanes to be reduced for the next month.
The driving surface of the bridge will be sealed to repair and protect the bridge deck. Over the next several weeks, the interstate will be reduced to one lane in each direction.
This bridge is one of several structures on or over Interstate 90 undergoing maintenance. To learn more about the project, visit itdprojects.org/i90bridgessv.
More information about other construction projects in the CDA area can be found at itdprojects.org with traffic impacts posted to 511.idaho.gov.
Update as of June 3, 2019 at 1:30 p.m.:
A temporary signal will be in place by the end of the week at US-95 and Kathleen Avenue in Coeur d’Alene.
While the signal is being installed, drivers can expect intermittent lane closures on the highway and Kathleen Avenue. Once in place, the temporary signal will allow all normal movements.
At this time a permanent structure will be included with other scheduled highway improvements.
Original post:
The signal at US-95 and Kathleen Avenue was removed after a driver ran into it Sunday morning and will likely not be replaced for a few months.
Traffic on the highway is currently free flowing with stop signs on Kathleen Avenue. Right turns off and onto the highway are the only turns allowed.
Drivers are not able to make left turns or cross the highway at the intersection. Instead, drivers are advised to use Government Way and Ramsey Road to access the nearest signals on US-95 at Dalton and Neider avenues. View a map of the area.
Traffic will likely remain in this configuration for a few months. ITD is investigating the structural integrity of the signal’s bases and exploring intermediate options to replace the structure. Signal replacements of this kind typically take time to fix as these structures are often custom-built and expensive to keep on hand.
A permanent fix will likely be incorporated into construction already planned for the next two summers on US-95 in CDA. Learn more about that work by visiting itdprojects.org/us95intersections.
The Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) will host a public open house for the US-93, 300 South Rd. project Thursday, June 6 at the Idaho Fish and Game, Magic Valley Regional Office, at 324 South 417 East in Jerome.
ITD plans to expand the existing two-lane highway to four lanes with a center median and turn bays. The public is invited to review the proposed improvements and discuss details with the project team. The meeting will be held in an open house format; meaning the public can drop by anytime between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.
The US-93, 300 South Rd. is the fourth and final segment of overall corridor improvements developed as part of the US-93, I-84 to SH-25 Jerome County Environmental Assessment (EA). The Federal Highway Administration issued a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI), approving the EA in 2007.
If you cannot attend the public meeting on June 6, but would like more information or to comment on the project, please send an email to the ITD Project Manager, Nathan Jerke, at nathan.jerke@itd.idaho.gov by June 20, 2019.
