The US-95 Granite North project recently won a National Recognition Award from the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) in their 2023 Engineering Excellence Awards. The award recognized both design and construction achievements.
The award was announced March 23 and was presented to ITD project manager Steven Bakker (pictured below) in Washington, DC on June 13. It had been named the ACEC Project of the Year for Idaho on April 10, making it eligible for the national award.
The National Recognition Award is a prestigious distinction honoring projects demonstrating exceptional engineering excellence at the national level. HDR Inc. was the project consultant.
The $21.1 million Granite North expanded the route to accommodate rapid growth in the area. The project began in fall 2020 and finished in November 2022, allowing traffic to use the new road a full year ahead of schedule. The project featured 1.2 million cubic yards of earthwork, funded through ITD’s award-winning GARVEE (Grant Anticipation Revenue Vehicle) program.
The expansion also included 170,000 cubic yards of closely supervised blasting of tough, rocky soils in the area, allowing crews to expand the route to four lanes over Granite Hill. Additional lanes over Granite Hill provide better mobility, and frontage roads improve safety by routing drivers to improved intersections to enter US-95.
Safety First
The project was a top priority, being home to a High-Accident Location in the region. Although the project involved more than 60,000 hours of work time, there were zero OSHA incidents or infractions due to a highly collaborative and proactive “see something, say something” safety mentality. The work improved safety by reducing direct access to the highway and guiding drivers via frontage roads to the best spot for traffic to turn onto the highway. Crews also installed new signage, completed landscaping, and added rumble strips to help in the safety of drowsy or wayward drivers.
“We first won the statewide Engineering Excellence award from ACEC of Idaho in April 2023. Just prior to that we learned that this project would also get the national recognition award in Washington, D.C. It’s very cool to have a relatively small job in rural Idaho be recognized on the national stage,” said Bakker.
POCATELLO – The Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) is hosting an open house on June 29 to share information and gather public input about improvements being developed for Interstate 15 (I-15) between the Northgate Interchange (Exit 73) and the Fort Hall Interchange (Exit 80).
“The interstate is in need of improvement as traffic volumes continue to increase in southeast Idaho,” said ITD District 5 Engineering Manager, Eric Staats. “ITD has determined that additional lanes are needed to enhance safety and to meet continued growth and travel demands.”
The I-15 Northgate to Fort Hall Project is part of a multi-year planning process to improve I-15 between Pocatello and Idaho Falls.
“This project between the Northgate Interchange and the Fort Hall Interchange is the first step toward widening I-15 between Pocatello and Idaho Falls,” said Staats. “We would like to get the public’s input on the designs that have been developed for the Northgate to Fort Hall segment.”
The public is invited to stop by the open house anytime between 4:00 – 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 29, at the Shoshone-Bannock Convention Center, Chief Targhee Room (777 Bannock Road) in Fort Hall. Project staff will be available to discuss the project and proposed design plans.
The same information will also be available online between June 29 – July 14. Participants are invited to review materials and submit comments online. For more information, please visit the project website at https://itdprojects.org/projects/i15northgatetoblackfoot/
Elements of this project are being funded with Transportation Expansion and Congestion Mitigation (TECM) funds as part of the Leading Idaho Program. The program allows ITD to accelerate project timelines to address rapid growth and build critical infrastructure today that would otherwise take many years to fund and build.
Work continues on the Aht’Wy Interchange project on U.S. Highway 95 near the Clearwater River Casino & Lodge RV Park. As crews shift their work to other sections on the site, there will be a new change to traffic patterns starting this week.
Motorists are advised that access from SB US-95 to the plaza will only be allowed at the west entrance point. Access from NB US-95 to the plaza will be allowed at both west and east entrance points.
Access from the plaza to SB US-95 will be restricted at the east entrance and only allowed at the west entrance. Access from the plaza to NB US-95 will be allowed at both east and west entrance points.
During these early stages, travelers can expect single lanes in each direction. The speed limit has been lowered for safety. ISP is heavily patrolling the area. Please be mindful of construction workers working near the roadway.
To get continual updates about weather-related road conditions, road work, commercial vehicle restrictions, road closures, and other travel please visit Idaho 511. Access it 24/7 on the web at http://511.idaho.gov, by downloading the free mobile app or by dialing 511 on your phone.
RIGBY — The Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) will host two public meetings in late June to share project developments for the U.S. Highway 20 (US-20) corridor between Ashton and the State Highway 87 (SH-87) junction.
These meetings will provide an update on the study and gather feedback from the public.
Welcome messages will be given at 5:15 p.m. and 6:15 p.m. and the remainder of each meeting will be an open house, including visualizations and computer mapping stations. The format and content will be the same at both meetings. Please plan to attend at one of the following locations:
Summer shot of US-20
Ashton Community Center and Library
925 Main Street | Ashton, ID 83420
June 26, 2023 | 5 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Island Park EMS Building
4378 County Circle | Island Park, ID 83429
BOISE — The public is invited to learn more about preliminary design plans for US-20/26 between Middleton Road and Star Road at a meeting hosted by the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD), Thursday, June 15 from 5 p.m. – 7 p.m., at the Star Fire Protection District, 11665 W. State Street, Ste. B, Star, ID.
This project will widen the highway and improve intersections to enhance safety and mobility for all users of the transportation system, including nearby residents, businesses, commuters, and freight carriers.
The meeting will be an open house, with no formal agenda. Members of the project team will be available to answer questions. The public is encouraged to attend and provide comments on the proposed design.
Anyone unable to attend in person, can also participate online between June 16 and June 29 by clicking on the following link: itdprojects.org/projects/chindenwest.
The design of this project is being funded with Transportation Expansion and Congestion Mitigation (TECM) funds as part of the Leading Idaho TECM Program. The program allows ITD to accelerate project timelines to address rapid growth and build critical infrastructure today that would otherwise take many years to fund and build. Funding for the next phase of work will be determined when the project progresses to that stage.
The Idaho Transportation Department is pausing efforts to install a new containment system to capture any future fluids that may be released from heavy equipment that fell into Lake Coeur d’Alene near Higgens Point decades ago.
In February the department had hired a specialized contractor to design a new containment system. To design the system, ITD deployed divers underwater and initiated several types of imaging to determine the precise location of the equipment.
“We weren’t able to identify the exact location of the dozer to the point we would be able to place the new system,” Emergency Response Coordinator Chris Williams said. “Due to poor visibility under 90 feet of water, the historic landslide that buried the equipment, and the presence of heavy metals that make imaging ineffective, at this time we have decided to put our plans on hold.”
The equipment has not leaked fluids since December. After Memorial Day, ITD removed absorbent booms on the lake’s surface.
“With more boaters out on the water, maintaining these booms was not feasible or cost-effective,” Williams said.
ITD is working with the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality to determine next steps and implement a monitoring program.
New plans underway for cleanup of leaking dozer in Lake Coeur d’Alene
February 24, 2023
The Idaho Transportation Department has hired a contractor to design and build a new containment system to capture leaking petroleum products from a dozer that fell into Lake Coeur d’Alene during the construction of I-90 decades ago.
Associated Underwater Services out of Spokane is now drawing plans for a stainless steel hood that will encase the dozer, which is buried in rock and under about 90 feet of water, to prevent diesel and other fluids from contaminating the lake.
Once designed the hood will be built on the shore of the lake and could be in place as early as June. In the meantime, ITD will monitor the site and leave booms in the water to absorb any leaks.
“The hood will capture any leaks and is expected to be forty feet long by forty feet wide,” Emergency Response Coordinator Chris Williams said. “That’s a lot of stainless steel, and getting our hands on that material will be a challenge.”
Concept drawing of a steel hood to encase a dozer at the bottom of a lake
The hood is similar to previous containment systems implemented since the dozer, as well as a scraper, fell into the lake in 1990. Earlier systems also used protective membranes to funnel any escaping fluids to a device where it could be emptied and replaced.
The latest leak was noticed in December and likely a result of a boat anchor disturbing the protective membrane and allowing diesel to be released to the surface. Both membranes will be removed, and the hood will be built large enough to completely cover the buried the dozer. Fluids will be trapped in the hood, which will have a containment vessel to monitor and empty when needed.
“We are committed to protecting the lake, which likely include several more years of monitoring and maintaining the hood,” Williams said.
Other options like removal of the equipment were considered with partner agencies like the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality but dismissed due to the risk of affecting the rockslide area and the potential harm to staff and the environment.
Diesel leaking from dozer at the bottom of Lake Coeur d’Alene
December 27, 2022
During the construction of I-90, two pieces of equipment fell into Lake CDA near Higgens Point and were unable to be recovered.
Contractor Scarsella Brothers, Inc., was placing fill in the lake in May 1990 to provide a base for an interchange at Higgens Point when the ground unexpectedly gave away, dumping a Caterpillar 631 scraper and a D-9 dozer and their operators into the water.
Black and white photograph of slide area
Both operators survived, but the dozer and scraper were barely visible and under about 90 feet of water.
ITD, the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality and several other agencies considered next steps. The tank of the scraper was able to be drained due to how it landed, but the dozer was inaccessible. State and federal agencies agreed that retrieval methods were too risky—both in terms of risk to personnel and to the stability of the slope underwater—and decided to abandon the equipment.
The proposed interchange was cancelled and replaced with plans for a parking lot.
THE FIRST LEAK
The dozer did not appear to leak product until 2000, when a sheen was noticed and determined to be coming from the dozer.
Booms were put in place to contain and capture the product, and ITD hired an engineering firm, CH2M Hill, to analyze field conditions and recommend options to resolve the current leak and capture future releases.
Seven options were put forth and evaluated for effectiveness, feasibility and cost. Both options to remove either the fuel tank from the dozer or the entire machine were rejected due to danger to personnel, the possibility of triggering a slide or the risk of releasing more product through recovery efforts.
ITD and DEQ opted for subsurface containment and collection. In 2001 a specially designed stainless steel hood was built and installed to cover the release site and capture any releases in a canister that could be emptied safely by divers. In 2002 a protective membrane was added to partially cover the dozer and further funnel product into the hood.
Placing the containment system
Eventually with no product coming to the surface, the booms were removed.
THE SECOND LEAK
Another leak in 2010 led to the removal of the hood, which needed maintenance, and was replaced with a larger membrane and a simple catchment system to receive and absorb any product.
That system remained in place, with no leaks detected until 2022.
CURRENT EFFORTS
Late December 7, ITD was notified of product coming to the surface in the general vicinity of the relic equipment.
The department placed floating booms to both contain the suspected diesel leak from the dozer and protect the shoreline. Dives determined that the equipment was still buried but that the older, first protective membrane had been disturbed, likely after being caught by a boat anchor. The other membrane looked to be intact.
Disturbed protective membrane
ITD is again working with DEQ to pursue a specialized contractor to implement a quick and minimally invasive solution to capture and contain the leak. Once contained future, more permanent projects may be considered and developed.
Construction on U.S. Highway 95 in Bonners Ferry will enter a new stage next week, with paving set to begin on June 19.
For two weeks crews will pave the northbound lane between Alderson Lane and Labrosse Hill Street. Work will be done without changing impacts to traffic; one lane will be open in each direction. However, access to businesses will be temporarily restricted as crews pave in front of driveways.
Once paving is complete, traffic will be shifted onto the new northbound lane, and crews will start rebuilding the southbound lane. This marks the halfway point of the season with work set to finish by mid-October.
After the construction the highway will feature two lanes with a consistent center turn lane, wider shoulders, sidewalks and lighting.
The intersection of Pine Island and US-95 will be closed until all work is complete with traffic detoured to Mirror Lake Road and Riverside Street. In late July crews will adjust the detour to make it easier for larger agricultural equipment to travel on the detour.
Recreationists, anglers, and other through traffic will be impacted by two construction projects on U.S. Highway 12 this summer. The Idaho Transportation Department will be repairing the roadway in two sections.
The first project on US-12; Saddle Camp Road to Warm Springs (mileposts 140.6 – 151.4) will start this week. This work will include soft spot repairs, milling and paving, and new guardrail installation. A bicycle shuttle will be offered free of charge to cyclists during working hours 6 a.m.—6 p.m. (Mon. – Sat.).
The second project; Lochsa Ranger Station to Holly Creek (mileposts 121.4 – 130.3) will receive repairs and improvements as well. The first season of work will commence on July 10 and conclude mid-October (season 1 of 2). The work will include a shoulder notch widening on both sides of US-12, the construction of reinforced soil slopes, and the replacement of multiple culverts.
The road may be reduced to one lane with possible maximum 30-minute delay at times. Watch carefully for flaggers or pilot cars. Driving surface will vary from milled surface to gravel surface at the pipe crossings and soft spot repairs.
Live traffic impacts can be found by visiting 511.idaho.gov. You can also dial 5-1-1 or download the app. For information on ITD projects, check ITDprojects.org.
TWIN FALLS– Lane restrictions on Perrine Bridge and Glenns Ferry Bridges are scheduled for June 20-25. Drivers can expect traffic delays across the bridges while Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) crews conduct routine bridge inspections.
Glenns Ferry Bridges
June 20-23 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Traffic on both east- and westbound bridges at milepost 121.6 on Interstate 84 will be reduced to one lane in either direction when crews begin work on the eastbound bridge with an 11-ft width lane restriction starting Tuesday, June 20 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Westbound right-lane closure will begin when eastbound work is completed.
Traffic will be reduced to one lane in either direction while crews move from the south end of the bridge to the north end with an 11-ft width lane restriction:
– Southbound right lane closure: Saturday, June 24 from 5 a.m. to 3 p.m.
– Northbound right lane closure: Sunday, June 25 from 5 a.m. to 3 p.m.
“These special bridge inspections only take a couple of days to accomplish, while routine inspections take a week or more and both are important to ensure the safety and longevity of our state bridges,” said ITD Bridge Inspector Amy Bower.
ITD, Idaho State Police, and local law enforcement caution motorists to slow down and pay attention when driving in work zones, where increased speeding fines and other penalties apply. Motorists are encouraged to plan ahead and dial 5-1-1 or visit511.idaho.govfor information on the state highway or interstate system.
BLACKFOOT – Beginning Monday the Idaho Transportation Department will begin work on pavement preservation projects in the Blackfoot area on Interstate 15 and US Highway 91. Motorists should plan for single lane closures and reduced speed limits in the work zones.
Interstate 15 will receive a micro-surfacing treatment north of the Blackfoot rest area. Micro-surfacing improves and protects the road surface.
On US-91 from Shelley to York Road, ITD will begin chip sealing. Chip sealing, also called seal coating, maximizes the taxpayers’ investment by extending the lifespan of the pavement. Hot temperatures are needed to ensure a successful application. Chip sealing protects pavement from sun, oxidation, weather, water, oil and gas, and improves traction for drivers.
As work progresses, the I-15 Business Loop through Blackfoot will also be improved. All work is scheduled to be completed by mid-July.
Please check 511.idaho.gov or the 511 app for the most recent information on road work.
The meeting will be an open house, with no formal agenda. Members of the project team will be available to answer questions. The public is encouraged to attend and provide comments on the proposed design.
