Work on State Highway 14 west of Elk City will begin Monday to resurface the highway to make it smoother and last longer. As part of the improvements, the shoulder will also be paved to enhance safety for the traveling public.
During construction until the end of June, the highway will be reduced to one lane of alternating traffic guided by pilot cars between mileposts 9.5 and 16. Motorists can expect flaggers and moderate delays.
Up-to-date highway information may be found by visiting 511.idaho.gov. Travelers can also dial 5-1-1 or download the app.
The Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) will begin soil and rock sampling this June for a project to build a new bridge over the North Fork of the Payette River in Valley County. The project will address plans for the nearby Rainbow Bridge that has served Idaho travelers for nearly 100 years.
The sampling will require test drilling in 18 locations around the existing bridge. Preparations are expected to begin next week. Drivers can expect up to 15-minute delays on weekdays in June for the drilling and associated preparations. Work will stop for the weekend each Friday at noon.
Prior to the drilling, ITD will remove trees and vegetation near each drilling location to allow a helicopter to safely lower equipment. The ground will be re-seeded after drilling. Results will be used for designing the bridge foundation, supports and retaining walls along State Highway 55.
The current Rainbow Bridge was constructed in 1933 and no longer meets standards for state highway bridges. ITD began environmental and design work this spring for a new bridge adjacent to the current bridge. The project will include a decision about the future of the existing bridge.
“We intend to approach this project with a high level of transparency, sensitivity and community involvement,” ITD Resident Engineer Dan Gorley said. “Public input will be a key consideration in the final recommendation for the new bridge and the existing bridge.”
ITD will host community open houses and a stakeholder working group this July. Additional community involvement opportunities will be scheduled later this year. To request an invitation to future meetings, please email info@sh55rainbowbridge.com or visit https://itdprojects.idaho.gov/pages/rainbowbridge.
The project is planned for construction in 2027 or 2028.
Two projects are set to begin Monday to create a center mumble strip and add a passing lane on State Highway 33. Motorists will experience lane closures and delays at various times through the summer.
A mumble strip along the center line of SH-33 will be added to increase safety and avoid collisions from the intersection of State Highway 32 to the Wyoming state line. The mumble strip will not be added within the city limits of Tetonia, Driggs and Victor. All striping will also be redone. This project will close one lane in the current work area and be complete within two weeks. Mumble strips are similar to rumble strips but are rounded so noise is heard by the driver and less by surrounding homes and businesses.
Work on the addition of a passing lane, center and right turn lanes and the realignment of Baseline Road along SH-33 between Victor and Teton Pass also begins Monday. Drivers should plan for delays between 15 and 30 minutes as temporary signals will alternate traffic through the work zone from mileposts 151 to 153. Crews will remove outdated concrete cattle underpasses and widen the road to ultimately give motorists a chance to pass slow-moving vehicles before entering Teton Pass. This work will be complete mid to late-September.
Motorists should remember to use caution and be patient through construction zones as the Idaho Transportation Department and contractors work to make the road better for the future. Stay up to date on status of these projects and others by visiting 511.idaho.gov, calling 5-1-1 or downloading the app.
Construction work at the intersection of U.S. Highway 26 (Yellowstone) and Anderson/Lincoln Road in Idaho Falls begins this weekend and will continue June 8-9. Anderson/Lincoln will be closed to through traffic and no left turns will be allowed off Yellowstone. Roads will re-open and traffic resume as normal on Sunday night both weekends. The intersection was also a work zone last year and was unable to be successfully completed with the onset of winter weather.
The City of Idaho Falls requested that the Idaho Transportation Department arrange to have work done over weekend time frames to affect the fewest commuting drivers. ITD is working with the contractor to ensure the most minimal impact while fully completing improvements at the intersection. It is the project goal to complete one half of the work this weekend on June 1-2, and the other half over June 8-9 to ensure the least amount of closure and detours possible. Any changes to that schedule will be communicated if necessary.
Motorists will see the current road surface being milled up and removed to put stronger asphalt in place. Stone matrix asphalt (SMA), a newer construction alternative than the concrete previously used at this intersection, will be laid in solid segments to avoid weak joints and give the new section of road as much as a 20-year life cycle.
Remember to use caution and be patient through construction zones as the Idaho Transportation Department and our contractor partners work to make the road better for the future. Stay up to date on status of this project and others by visiting 511.idaho.gov, calling 5-1-1 or downloading the app.
The closure planned at the Simco Road Interchange for last week has been rescheduled for today (June 3).
The westbound off-ramp of Interstate 84 at the Simco Road Interchange will be closed for construction today beginning at 6 a.m. and will reopen tomorrow. Vehicles using the westbound off-ramp will be rerouted to Mayfield (Exit 71).
At the end of this week, traffic on the eastbound lanes will shift to the left before Exit 71. The westbound lanes will remain open with intermittent daytime closures. The Simco Road Bridge will remain open as one lane. Drivers can expect reduced speeds when approaching the interchange.
Construction began in July 2023 to replace the bridge over I-84, originally built in 1959. Work is expected to be complete this summer.
The Idaho Transportation Department reminds drivers to be patient, slow down and obey all posted signs in the construction zone. Travelers should check 511.idaho.gov before driving in the area.
5/28/2024 Original Story
The westbound off-ramp of Interstate 84 at the Simco Road Interchange will be closed for construction tomorrow and will reopen Thursday. Vehicles using the westbound off-ramp will be rerouted to Mayfield (Exit 71).
At the end of next week, traffic on the eastbound lanes will shift to the left before Exit 71. The westbound lanes will remain open with intermittent daytime closures. The Simco Road Bridge will remain open as one lane. Drivers can expect reduced speeds when approaching the interchange.
Construction began in July 2023 to replace the bridge over I-84, originally built in 1959. Work is expected to be complete this summer.
The Idaho Transportation Department reminds drivers to be patient, slow down and obey all posted signs in the construction zone. Travelers should check 511.idaho.gov before driving in the area.
Memorial Day weekend is shaping up to be a busy travel time in the Gem State. Idaho is about to enter the 100 Deadliest Days on Idaho roads- the time between Memorial Day and Labor Day when there is a spike in fatal and serious injury crashes. Seventy* people have been killed in crashes on Idaho roads so far this year- including the recent crash on US 20 in Bonneville County that tragically killed six people in one vehicle. The Idaho Office of Highway Safety (OHS) is imploring drivers to be vigilant and drive engaged this Memorial Day weekend and all summer.
“We call this period the 100 Deadliest Days, but it would be great to be proven wrong. Make it safer out there for yourself and others by slowing down, putting down distractions, buckling up, and planning a sober ride home,” said OHS program manager Josephine Middleton.
While it would seem like winter is the most dangerous time to drive, driving is more dangerous in summer. This seems paradoxical. Why would roads be more dangerous in summer when weather conditions are better? During the summer more people are out of school or work, on vacation, and celebrating leading to higher rates of risky behavior behind the wheel like impaired driving, distracted driving, and speeding.
Graph: Fatal crashes by month 2018-2022.
This summer OHS and its partners across the state will work together to remind people to make safer choices whenever they are on the road. Some of these activities will include partnering with law enforcement agencies to get dangerous drivers off the road, public awareness campaigns, and community outreach events.
“We have a lot of wonderful partners who help us make Idaho’s roads a safer place, but we can’t just rely on them,” Middleton said. “We can all do a better job of looking out for each other on our roads and make it safely through this summer.”
On May 28 the Idaho Transportation Department will begin resurfacing U.S. Highway 2 starting at its junction with U.S. Highway 95 east to the Montana state line. This project will improve safety and the drivers’ experience with a smooth new surface.
Crews will begin at the junction and work east through fall, often during both daytime and nighttime hours. Traffic will be reduced to a single lane.
Pilot cars will be utilized to guide alternating lanes of traffic through the active work zone.
Drivers should anticipate delays in travel ranging from 15 to 30 minutes, and plan accordingly.
Throughout the course of this project, crews will be grinding down the top layer of asphalt and replacing the paved surface to correct deficiencies and soft spots from US-95 to the Moyie Bridge.
East of Moyie Bridge a more comprehensive restructuring process will take place beyond milling down through the base layer of the highway to fully reconstruct the road base and driving surface. This process—known as Cement Recycled Asphalt Based Stabilization, or CRABS—is both efficient and cost effective.
“We pulverize the existing asphalt, mix in cement to help stabilize and strengthen the mixture to use as a base, and then we pave over top of that,” Project Manager Megan Koski said.
The Port of Entry station at Three Mile Junction will also be reconstructed and is expected to experience intermittent, temporary interruptions of service as the asphalt is being reconstructed at their current location. As an alternate, people may contact the Huetter Port of Entry for permits, registrations, or questions at (208) 769-1551.
Travelers are encouraged to use the Idaho 511 system for updated traffic impacts through the construction season.
The Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) will close the westbound on-ramp (heading toward Boise) at the I-84 South Jerome Interchange (Exit 168) on Tuesday, May 28. The ramp will remain closed for a few months while crews build the new westbound on-ramp.
Traffic will be detoured to the Main Street/Highway 25 Interchange (Exit 165). Motorists will be directed north on S Lincoln Avenue, west on W Avenue D, north on S Birch Street and west on W Main Street/Highway 25. Click here to see a detour map.
Motorists can continue to expect intermittent local road closures, I-84 lane closures, traffic shifts and ramp changes throughout the duration of the project. Construction is anticipated to be completed in 2026.
Details about the I-84 South Jerome Interchange project are available at itdprojects.idaho.gov/pages/sjeromeic or by texting 84JTF to 1-866-483-8422.
Drivers should check 511.idaho.gov before traveling to plan for impacts from this project and other work zones.
Exit 332 on U.S. Highway 20 in Rexburg will completely close for one month beginning next Wednesday, May 29 to allow crews to quickly build a new unique diverging diamond interchange (DDI) that will greatly improve the flow of traffic.
All ramps at this exit and University Boulevard between the ramps will be closed to traffic and detoured to nearby interchanges. Through traffic on US-20 will be unaffected during construction.
Detours include Exit 328 at Thorton and Main Street Exit 333 in Rexburg. A temporary signal has been set up at Exit 333 to accommodate additional traffic. Access to businesses near Exit 332 will remain open with signage in place to direct drivers.
“Closing the exit allows crews to work at a significantly faster rate. Our goal is to have this interchange reopened before the Fourth of July,” Resident Engineer and Project Manager Conner Huffaker said.
Motorists should use caution and be aware of congestion. Crews will coordinate with emergency responders to ensure access through the closed construction zone when needed.
Once Exit 332 is reopened, work to construct the same DDI design at Exit 333 will begin. The closure of Exit 333 is expected to begin late July or early August.
Collisions between vehicles and cattle along State Highway 51 is spurring an Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) employee to take action by repurposing unused signs into open range warnings.
Wilmer Biggs, a transportation technician with the Bruneau ITD maintenance crew, has seen firsthand the damage that can happen when vehicles collide with open range cattle. Biggs decided to transform advisory signs from a defunct federal radio alert system into flashing open range signs. To date, Biggs has converted nine signs along SH-51, spanning from the Nevada border to north of Bruneau. Biggs hopes to convert more in the future.
“These flashing signs are designed to grab the attention of travelers. It’s a win-win situation. Not only will it enhance safety for Idaho’s drivers, but it will reduce losses for our local farmers,” Biggs said.
Open range cattle can be found on SH-51 and other Idaho highways year round. Idaho is an open range state, meaning cattle and other livestock have the right of way. If livestock is hit on an open range, the owner of the animal is not liable for damages to the driver or the vehicle. Drivers may be liable for injuries or death of the animal if found to have been negligent.
