Safety improvements on US-95 in Bonners Ferry to begin next week

Reconstruction of US-95 through Bonners Ferry will begin during the week of May 14 and is expected to improve safety.

Crews will work from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Some night work will be permitted. One lane in each direction will remain open during the day, but night work will require alternating, one-way traffic.

To learn more about this project, the public may attend a meeting on Thursday, May 10 at 1 p.m. at the Bonners Ferry Visitor Center. Project staff will be available to provide construction details.

This two-year project will reconstruct the highway and improve pedestrian facilities between Alderson Lane and the bridge over the Kootenai River. Construction between Madison Street and the bridge will end in early October, and Madison Street to Alderson Lane will be reconstructed in 2019.

The highway will be expanded to three lanes and will include wider shoulders that can be used as bike lanes and separated sidewalks on both sides. The aging signal at Alderson Lane will not be replaced by the state after widening the highway.

After construction, the highway will transition from four lanes to two lanes at the bottom of the South Hill, addressing safety concerns by allowing drivers to merge before the crosswalk and the Madison Street intersection at the top of the hill. Reconfiguration of lanes is intended to reduce speeding, and vehicles entering the highway from Ash Street will also be able to use new acceleration lanes.

Construction to extend improvements from Alderson Lane to Labrosse Hill Street could begin as early as 2020.

Throughout construction, the public may receive updates by visiting the project website, checking 511 or attending weekly meetings held every Thursday. Once a schedule is finalized, details about the weekly meetings will be posted to the website.

Give ITD feedback on Mountain Home plans

The Idaho Transportation Department is seeking public comment on several long-range plans in Mountain Home.

The Department and the City of Mountain Home have worked together to create concepts for the interchanges at Exits 90 (Old US-30) and 95 (American Legion) as well as access control along American Legion Blvd (Idaho Highway 51 and US-20). You can see project details and leave a comment by visiting the project website.

The redesign on Exit 90 is designed to improve the safety and efficiency of the interchange. It also accommodates a future connection to NW Mashburn Road.

At Exit 95, ITD is asking for public comment on three alternative designs. Each design has its own advantages and trade-offs. Your input will be valuable in helping to determine the best choice.

The access study is a collaborative effort between ITD and Mountain Home to provide long-range guidance on safer configurations for American Legion Blvd. The design promotes safety while ensuring the public can access businesses along the corridor. Once finalized, this plan will provide up-front information for businesses seeking to develop in the area, enhancing the local economy.

The comment period for this study will end May 15, 2018.

Get to know your Idaho with ITD’s free historical photo archive

BOISE – The history of Idaho is very much intertwined with the history of our highways and roads. Early pioneers built the Gem State by carving highways and byways into our diverse landscape. From rolling hills, fertile plains, and lush meadows, to stark desert and rugged mountains, highways connect them all.

You now have the opportunity to uncover that early highway history – Idaho’s heritage — through a free online archive of more than 30,000 historical images.

ITD’s free photo collection is at itd.idaho.gov/photohistory.

Accessing the photos is simple. Just go to the site, enter your search criteria (name and location of the photo you want), then download the results in whatever size you need. Here’s a short video to walk you through the process.

May is Historic Preservation Month, so what better time to unveil this new service? Travel back in time and get to know your Idaho!

ITD Director Brian Ness named to Transportation Research Board Executive Committee

Idaho Transportation Department Director Brian Ness was recently named to the Executive Committee of the 2018 Transportation Research Board (TRB). The TRB is a unit of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, and serves as an independent adviser to the President of the United States, the Congress, and federal and state agencies on scientific and technical transportation issues of national importance.

Ness, who has been ITD Director since 2010, serves as the chair of the Research & Innovation Committee for the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), and chaired AASHTO’s Special Committee on Transportation Security and Emergency Management (SCOTSEM) until August 2017. Through his leadership of SCOTSEM, Mr. Ness achieved national recognition for applying his organizational model to emergency management and security, which has helped reshape the group’s strategic plan.

Ness was President of the Western Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (WASHTO) in 2016. In this position, he served as a regional representative to AASHTO’s Executive Committee. In addition, he sponsors the WASHTO Highway Transport Committee. He is also the creator and sponsor of WASHTO’s Emerging Leaders Program, which he also brought to ITD.

Ness is a nationally recognized authority on organizational realignment and speaks regularly at national conferences for both the public and private sectors about how to structure a more effective and accountable state government. He leads a seminar each year on his “Nine Steps to a Results-Focused Culture” for the National Transportation Leadership Institute’s (NTLI) senior and executive-level management courses.

Ness was honored in 2012 as Leader of the Year by the Treasure Valley chapter of Women’s Transportation Seminar, and named Trine University’s (formerly Tri-State University) 2014 Alumni of the Year. He received the 2016 Navigator Award from Route Fifty. The award, in the “Agency and Department Chiefs” category, is based on his citizen-focused approach to government and transformative style. In 2013, ITD earned AASHTO’s President’s Award for Administration for its realignment efforts.

Since Ness joined the department, ITD has received nearly 100 national awards for its people, programs and projects, including the prestigious Francis B. Francois Award for Innovation.

Under his leadership, ITD began an employee-driven innovation program in 2014. Since that time, the department has implemented more than 860 innovations, saved nearly $5.2 million, created 500 customer-service improvements, and saved about 187,000 contractor and employee hours.

The department was recognized in 2016 by the Idaho Technology Council as a finalist for Innovative Company of the Year.

Ness earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Tri-State University and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Western Michigan University. He is a licensed professional engineer in Michigan and Idaho. Before becoming director at ITD, he worked for 30 years at the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), holding a variety of positions in research, operations, aeronautics, construction, and project development.

Safety improvements near casino in north-central Idaho to be constructed this summer

Construction will begin the week of April 30 to improve safety at the west entrance to the Clearwater River Casino and Lodge on US-95 just south of Lewiston.

The west entrance to the casino will be closed for two weeks while a concrete island is installed. All traffic will be detoured to the east entrance.

“There have been multiple crashes at the casino’s entrances in recent years,” north-central Idaho engineering manager Doral Hoff said. “As we studied this area, we determined installing an island would improve safety by limiting left turns onto the highway.”

After construction, drivers exiting the casino from the west entrance will only be able to make right turns onto the highway. Drivers will still be able to turn right or left from the highway into the casino’s parking lot.

“We are excited to partner with the Nez Perce Tribe to address safety concerns in our area,” Hoff said. “We hope to continue to partner with the tribe on other safety improvements, such as an interchange for the casino.”

Reconstruction of I-90 near Mullan continues

Construction of 1.5 miles of Interstate 90 near Mullan will start the week of April 30 and last until October.

One lane in each direction will remain open at all times during construction.

Last year crews reconstructed 4.5 miles of I-90 between Mullan and the state line. Work this year will extend to the west of that project and be completed fall 2019.

Bridge replacement in Oldtown begins next week

The Idaho Transportation Department will begin construction to replace the bridge between Oldtown, Idaho, and Newport, Washington, that spans the railroad tracks beginning the week of April 30. Completion is scheduled for fall 2019.

The existing bridge, built in 1966, has reached the end of its design life. The new bridge will feature two lanes with a center median, lights and sidewalks.

The bridge will be demolished and rebuilt one half at a time. Traffic will be reduced to one lane across the structure with signals on either end guiding motorists through the work zone. Construction will pause during the winter months and resume in the spring. During that time, both lanes will be open.

Additionally, the intersection of Fourth Street and Idaho Highway 41 near the bridge will be closed for improvements.

Throughout construction, check 511 for the latest impacts.

Work on I-90 Blue Creek Bay Bridges east of CDA begins Monday

Repair work on the westbound bridge over Blue Creek Bay on Interstate 90 is anticipated to begin Monday, April 23 and last until October. After a winter shutdown, work will begin on the eastbound bridge next spring and continue through the fall.

Work this year will focus on the deck and support structures of the westbound bridge. Traffic will shift to the eastbound bridge and be reduced to one lane in each direction.

Work on the westbound bridge deck will cease this October, but work on the support structures underneath both bridges will continue. Four lanes will be open for traffic during the winter shutdown.

Once work starts on the eastbound bridge, traffic will be reduced to one lane and shifted onto the westbound bridge.

While work is underway, those recreating on the water will be directed away from the construction zone for safety reasons.

To receive periodic updates about this and other projects in the area, send an email to Megan.Sausser@itd.idaho.gov to sign up for the CDA Traffic Impacts e-newsletter. For the most up-to-date information, check 511.idaho.gov.

Pet peeves, anonymous notes and 25 years

Sherry Mundt has a particular pet peeve. She doesn’t like trash, and she really doesn’t like seeing it next to highways.

Her 680-acre farm sits along US-95 just eight miles south of Coeur d’Alene. Situated along a major route for locals and waste management services, she has seen her fair share of waste pile up next to the road.

“I’d be driving to town or heading back home, and I’d notice trash,” Mundt said. “I’d be mentally picking it up while I drove.”

Mundt finds the litter bothersome, and she takes pride in her community. That’s why 25 years ago she became an active participant in the Adopt-A-Highway program—a branch of the Idaho Transportation Department that connects volunteers with supplies and services to reduce trash along highways.

Although Mundt tends to other sections, the one-mile stretch in front of her property is her primary focus. Twice a year she spends 30 hours removing 30-40 bags of litter from that section alone.

Robin Karsann, an Adopt-A-Highway coordinator for North Idaho, said volunteers like Mundt collect enough trash from the area to fill 20 residential garbage trucks every year.

“More than 2,000 volunteers gave nearly 5,000 hours last year,” Karsann said. “That is a significant savings and outstanding benefit to our community.”

Throughout the years, Mundt said she had her own community of cheerleaders. Motorists passing by would honk to show their support and crews with the Idaho Transportation Department would offer assistance.

Then five years ago a new form of support found its way to Mundt’s mailbox. Little notes of gratitude and gift cards signed by neighbors she had yet to meet appeared regularly after her semiannual cleaning sessions.

“I kept them because they were encouraging,” Mundt said. “I’d read them before I signed up for another couple of years. They inspired me to keep doing what I was doing.”

It was not until this last January that Mundt met those neighborhood supporters, Mike and Kathy Barnes from the Mica Flats area, at another community function.

“Turns out they would occasionally take their children out to pick up trash, too,” Mundt said. “They said they wanted their children to learn to be like me.”

Mundt, now in her early 60s, will resign from Adopt-A-Highway duties next April, but she said she does not doubt that her community will continue in her stead.

“The ongoing dedication of community members like Mundt who continue to help keep our highways clean year after year cannot be appreciated enough,” Karsann said.

For anyone who would like to adopt a stretch of highway, there are more than 100 miles still available in North Idaho. Interested volunteers may contact the Coeur d’Alene office at (208) 772-1200 or visit itd.idaho.gov/road-mtce.

Wet Paint: Striping crews hitting the Treasure Valley

The last pockets of snow are melting off the Boise Foothills – the annual sign that Spring is in full swing in the Treasure Valley. As you begin to de-clutter your garage and spruce up your yard, the Idaho Transportation Department’s Southwest Idaho office is out in force laying fresh paint on faded road stripes.

During these operations, ITD is asking motorists to use extra caution around the striping machines and the wet paint they are applying.

How the Process Works

Striping crews consist of four vehicles.

A lead vehicle to warn approaching vehicles of the wet paint ahead
A paint truck that applies the paint and reflective beads
A crash truck immediately behind the paint truck for protection and to warn motorists of the fresh paint on the road.
A trailing truck with a message board to warn motorists of the wet paint and the painting crew working ahead

When weather allows, striping crews will spend the Spring and Summer repainting all of the lane lines on the state highway system in southwest Idaho. The paint truck sprays two different materials almost simultaneously; the paint first and then retro-reflective beads. The combined materials help the lines remain visible under different conditions: daylight, nighttime, or rain.

Once applied, the paint cures quickly. In ideal conditions, it can be as soon as 30 seconds.

What to do if you drive on wet paint

Wet paint is considered a roadway hazard – similar to animals, debris, or potholes. It’s the responsibility of all drivers to look out for these hazards and try to avoid them.

If you do find yourself driving through wet paint and some of it splashes on your car, you can take immediate action to remove it. ITD suggests two options:

Test a small, hidden part of your car first to ensure no side-effects to the paint or finish. Spray the painted areas with Pam cooking oil. Let it sit for a few minutes. Spray off with pressure washer.
Use a chemical solvent, such as Goof Off (latex). Test a small, hidden part of your car first to ensure no side-effects to the paint or finish. Spray and wipe off small sections at a time. After you wipe off each section wash that section immediately.