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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.

The Idaho Transportation Department will close State Highway 21 north and south of Lowman tonight at 6 p.m. as a major storm system brings heavy snow, high winds and avalanche danger to the region.

The highway frequently closes between Lowman and Stanley from Grandjean to Banner Summit, but another section will also close south of Lowman from milepost 70 to milepost 48 near Idaho City.

“This storm could deliver up to two feet of fresh snow, and with wind gusts near 25 miles per hour, we are expecting next to no visibility and drifting, making it too dangerous to travel,” Field Operations Manager Eric Copeland said. “For those reasons, we are closing both sections of SH-21 this time.”

Based on forecasted weather, the highway could reopen sometime on Saturday, March 11. Drivers should check 511.idaho.gov and ITD’s Twitter account for updates before traveling.

The second season of construction will resume this month at the I-90 and State Highway 41 Interchange, which is funded by Governor Little’s Leading Idaho initiative.

Work this spring will primarily cause nighttime closures on I-90 and SH-41 as weather allows. Nighttime lane closures on I-90 will begin tonight, and in late March SH-41 will be closed for several nights as construction of a temporary bridge on I-90 over the highway progresses. Drivers should pay attention to signage in the work zone for exact timing of impacts.

“Everything we do is dependent on the weather particularly in these next few months,” Project Manager Shannon Stein said. “This work zone is complex, with crews planning to work on several areas of the interchange at the same time.”

Bridge construction will be the main focus of the 2023 season. Crews will work on a temporary bridge on I-90 over SH-41 to maintain traffic flow during construction as well as three permanent structures for eastbound I-90. Later this year crews will also begin building the three permanent bridges for westbound I-90.

“Unlike last year though drivers will see construction shift to other areas of the project, including the Seltice Way/SH-41 intersection and near Central Avenue to work on the future underpass for pedestrians,” Stein said.

View graphic of the 2023 construction season.

Impacts to traffic will be similar to last year and are as follows:

• Two lanes will be open during the day with reduced shoulders on I-90.
• The speed limit will be lowered to 55 mph on I-90 and 25 mph on SH-41 and Seltice Way.
• Intermittent lane restrictions on I-90 at night. Nighttime work hours are generally from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Work will start at 10 p.m. during special events.

The best way to stay informed is to sign up for email updates by visiting itdprojects.org/i90sh41ic or by calling 208-738-4190. Live traffic impacts can also be found at 511.idaho.gov.

To learn about the future interchange and how it will function, watch this video.

The Transportation Expansion and Congestion Mitigation (TECM) funds through Governor Little’s Leading Idaho initiative allowed this $78 million interchange reconstruction project to begin one year earlier than expected. This program has allowed ITD to address rapid growth and build critical infrastructure today across the state that would otherwise have taken many years to fund and build.