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Photo taken by Taeli Elordi

The Idaho Transportation Department will activate the new signal at US Highway 20 and State Highway 47 this Thursday to make the intersection safer.  

“Last year we were able to add new turn lanes at this intersection to make it more efficient,” ITD Engineering Manager Bryan Young said. “Turning on the signal will be the last change we make to the intersection and make it easier for drivers on SH-47 to turn on to US-20 without making any risky maneuvers.”   

Testing will be done beforehand to make sure everything is in working order to have the signal running properly on Thursday. Crews will close lanes on both highways for several hours a time to test the signal, as well as to apply pavement markings to help drivers understand the new layout of the intersection. 

Safety is the main concern. Please be aware of crews on the road and drive with caution.  

For updates on traffic impacts on state highways and interstates, drivers should check 511.idaho.gov before traveling.   

Construction will begin Wednesday, April 5, to widen U.S. Highway 95 in Coeur d’Alene north of the Spokane River Bridge to increase traffic flow.

Work will last for four months, and traffic will only have one lane in each direction to get through the work zone. Drivers should plan extra time to travel on US-95 or head downtown.

The highway currently features one lane in each direction in the area, with a sharp corner near the intersection with Lincoln Way and Walnut Avenue. Work will remove the concrete median in the center of that intersection so additional through and turn lanes can be built.

“This project will end near the turn off to go downtown and the Spokane River Bridge,” Project Manager Edward Cabale said. “All of the major intersections in this short section will remain the same, except near Lincoln Way and Walnut Avenue.”

During construction drivers will not be able to access the highway from Lincoln Way or Walnut Avenue. After construction a thin concrete curb will separate northbound and southbound traffic on US-95 at the curve and change how drivers will access the two side streets:

• Northbound drivers on US-95 will be able to access both streets.
• Southbound drivers on US-95 will no longer have access to either street.
• Drivers on Walnut Avenue will only be able to turn right on to the highway and will not be able to access Lincoln Way.
• Drivers on Lincoln Way will not be able to turn on to the highway and will only be able to turn right at Walnut Avenue.

This design was developed with the City of Coeur d’Alene and public feedback from open houses in 2018 to reduce confusion at the intersection. These changes will go into effect immediately once construction starts.

View the new design here.

“The current layout of the intersection allows highway traffic to flow freely but all other movements function like a three-way stop,” Cabale said. “Simplifying this intersection will make it safer and easier to navigate.”

The existing center turn lane will be extended through Linden Avenue to help with the changes at this intersection as well as access to businesses.

Traffic impacts for this project and others are available 24/7 at 511.idaho.gov.

Construction will resume for the median U-turn on U.S. Highway 95 next week near Sagle. Impacts to traffic will begin Monday, March 27.

Work in the coming months will include finishing the retaining wall, paving the widened portion of the highway and rebuilding the Serenity Lee Trail. Users can expect the following impacts:

• One lane will remain open in each direction.
• Flaggers will intermittently stop traffic for trucks entering and exiting the work zone.
• The turn lane for Bottle Bay will remain reduced in length.
• A detour for path users will be marked along county roads.

The median U-turn will give drivers trying to turn from Lakeshore Drive onto the highway another option to travel northbound; after construction ends in June, drivers will be able to either make an immediate left turn onto US-95 or turn right to join southbound traffic and perform a U-turn a half-mile away from the intersection to head north.

“Providing the U-turn option will reduce delays for drivers trying to get on the highway at Lakeshore Drive, as well as reduce the likelihood of near misses at this intersection,” Project Manager Phil Stout said.

Closer to Sagle, construction on a new signal at Sagle Road will continue. Work began last fall as crews started to build the signal arm and light pole foundations. Delays to traffic are anticipated to be minimal and limited to lane shifts and shoulder closures until a detour is posted in late April.

In late April, crews will close Sagle Road between US-95 and Lignite Road for up to one month. This closure will be in place for all traffic. Drivers can expect the following impacts:

• Drivers on US-95 will not be able to turn eastbound onto Sagle Road.
• Westbound drivers on Sagle Road will not be able access US-95.
• Drivers will be detoured along Lignite Road and Bottle Bay Road to access US-95.
• Only local traffic, such as school buses, emergency vehicles and residents living in the area, will be allowed through via Monarch Road.

Drivers will be encouraged to continue to use the detour even after Sagle Road opens at US-95 as not all lanes will be open to traffic until the project is complete.

“Our goal is to minimize the traffic impacts while allowing the contractor to complete the work safely,” Stout said. “We have put an incentive in the contract to encourage early completion.”

Visit the website at itdprojects.org/us95lakeshoredrive to sign up for construction updates and for more information, or check 511.idaho.gov for live traffic impacts.

The maintenance crew at the distant Powell ITD shed in north-central Idaho are quite accustomed to late-night calls. It is not uncommon to hear the radio in the background as they keep an ear out for alarming chatter while ‘off duty.’

The Powell yard is located nearly 90 miles down the scenic US-12 corridor in the heart of the Clearwater/Bitterroot National Forest. It is known by many for both its pristine beauty and rugged terrain that takes you deep into Idaho backcountry.

Unfortunately, a hiker in distress became an emergency call on the radio in the late evening of February 28. The hiker had taken a serious fall during her visit to Weir Creek Hot Springs (pictured below), sustaining major injuries while tumbling down a 200-foot embankment off the edge of the trail and into the creek. Unable to move and in desperate need of help, her companions pulled her from the freezing water to the nearby rocky bank until help could arrive.

ITD District 2 employees Bill Foust and Casey Zeimantz were the first to arrive on scene, followed by Mitch Miller. The response included Idaho State Police Trooper David Wesche, three U.S. Forest Service personnel, Lowell’s Quick Response Team, Idaho County Sheriff Deputy and an ambulance from Kooskia.

The terrain can be described as ‘super steep, narrow and super slick.’ After locating the hiker, Foust, Zeimantz and Trooper Wesche were trying the determine the best way to get down to her at the creek. “I was just glad it wasn’t snowing,” Foust said. “It would have made it even more challenging.”

Foust assisted the injured hiker by keeping her spirits up and performing a basic medical assessment to determine if she could be moved. “It was difficult to assess because she had been partially submerged for so long. She was extremely cold and hypothermic,” described Foust.

Indications were pointing to something broken, like a possible neck or back injury. Caution dictated that she wasn’t going to be moved without advanced medical care and proper immobilization techniques.

The medical team arrived from Kooskia and got her situated on a backboard. “We placed heat packs around her and wrapped her up in thermal space blankets. She couldn’t feel the heat which started to make us nervous,” shared Foust.

Next, a qualified rope team secured her to be carried back up to the trail. Foust estimated that it “took 12 or 13 of us to hoist her out of there inch by inch and with excellent teamwork.”

She was extracted at around 4:30 a.m. and en route to the hospital. Her condition was looking grim, but the team was relieved to get her to advanced care in Missoula, Montana.

A tip of the cap to these gentlemen for their eagerness to assist someone in need and for their professionalism under pressure. It was a delicate situation handled with the utmost care.

As a token of their commitment to safety, D2 Operations Engineer Jared Hopkins and Powell Foreman Richard Baerlocher awarded ITD Safety Challenge Coins to Bill, Casey and Mitch.

The Idaho Transportation Department will host an open house on Tuesday, March 21, to present the proposed design for the 15^th Street Interchange in Coeur d’Alene as part of the I-90 corridor study. The study is funded by the Leading Idaho program.

With traffic conditions congested now and volumes expected to double by 2045, ITD is studying I-90 from the Washington state line to Coeur d’Alene to identify improvements to modernize the system, reduce crashes and save drivers’ time.

“We want to thank everyone for coming to the open houses for the corridor study in November,” ITD Project Manager Erika Bowen said. “Back then we were still considering alternatives for the 15^th Street Interchange, but now we’re ready to share the plans.”

This open house will focus solely on the 15^th Street Interchange. Updates on the overall corridor study will be shared at an open house later this summer, though responses to the most common comments have been published here.

Details for the open house are as follows:

Tuesday, March 21

4 – 7 p.m.

Coeur d’Alene Fire Station 3

1500 N 15th St, Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814

For those not able to attend the open house, the same information will be available on March 21 at itdprojects.org/i90corridor. An online survey will be available at that link through April 4.

“The interchange has not been upgraded since it was first constructed in 1960,” Bowen said. “We have thoroughly analyzed several solutions since it provides key access to Fire Station 3, Avista Utilities, Cherry Hill Park and major residential areas.”

The study for the I-90 corridor is funded with Transportation Expansion and Congestion Mitigation (TECM) funds as part of Governor Little’s Leading Idaho initiative. 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.

Following the study and public input, the recommended projects will be prioritized and advanced into design and construction as funding becomes available.

If you need special accommodations during an open house, please contact the study team in advance at info@i90corridor.com or (208) 738-4190.

To stay up to date on the I-90 corridor project and improvements to the 15^th Street Interchange, visit itdprojects.org/i90corridor and sign up for email updates.