Idaho Highway 8 will be resurfaced from Bovill east toward Elk River over the next two months, with work set to begin Tuesday, August 4. Resurfacing seven miles of the highway from its intersection with Idaho Highway 3 and Ruby Creek will provide a smoother ride for drivers.
Crews will work 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. from Monday through Saturday. During working hours only, the highway will be reduced to one lane.
A nearby project to fill in cracks and resurface 13.5 miles of ID-9 between Harvard and Deary is expected to wrap up in mid-August.
Visit 511.idaho.gov before traveling to see what impacts you may encounter on your route.
Dependent on the weather, controlled blasting will occur tomorrow afternoon (Friday, July 31) in the median of Interstate 84 between Twin Falls and Jerome. For safety, traffic will not be allowed through the area while this activity is underway.
Carefully controlled blasting is required to loosen the hard rock in the median.
This work was previously scheduled to begin in the evening, but has been moved to 2:00 pm in order to avoid potential adverse weather. Drivers may encounter delays up to 60 minutes.
ITD is asking motorists to consider using alternate routes while this work occurs. Electronic message boards and signage will be activated on the interstate in advance of the event. Motorists are advised to adhere to signs and pay attention to flaggers and Idaho State Police who will be assisting with slowing traffic on the interstate.
Starting the evening of Aug. 2, ITD maintenance crews will make repairs to the Interstate 84 bridge over 10th Ave in Caldwell to extend the life of the structure and provide a smoother driving surface.
Given the high volume of traffic on this section of I-84, work will only be done from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. when traffic is at its lowest. A single lane of I-84 will be closed each night. Speed limits will be reduced. Repairs will first be made on the eastbound lanes, then the westbound lanes. Crews plan to finish repairs on one lane each night.
The graphic above describes the anticipated closure areas and which nights repairs will be made on the specific lanes.
Several potholes have formed on the pavement before and after the bridge deck, which maintenance crews filled with temporary patches. For the upcoming repairs, crews will chisel out these patches and place a smoother overlay of an epoxy material the length of the damaged area.
“This is a pretty extensive repair,” said Joe Hunter, ITD maintenance operator in Caldwell managing the project. “The patches work, but it’s a rough surface right now. When we’re done, things will be much smoother and the bridge will remain in acceptable condition.”
In addition to the single lane closures, area residents and businesses can anticipate increased noise and vibration from equipment.
ITD recently completed a long-range environmental evaluation of I-84 from Franklin Rd. to Centennial Way for additional lanes. The current proposal includes adding to the existing bridge structure to accommodate an additional eastbound and westbound lane. There is currently no funding available to construct those improvements. For more information about the environmental project, visit ITDprojects.org/i-84-caldwell-to-karcher.
On Tuesday and Wednesday evening of this week (July 28 and 29) controlled blasting will occur in the median of Interstate 84 between Twin Falls and Jerome. For safety, traffic will not be allowed through the area while this activity is underway.
Carefully controlled blasting is required to loosen the hard rock in the median.
Work will not begin before 7:30 pm. Drivers may encounter delays up to 60 minutes.
ITD is asking motorists to consider using alternate routes while this work occurs. Electronic message boards and signage will be activated on the interstate in advance of the event. Motorists are advised to adhere to signs and pay attention to flaggers and pilot cars that will be utilized to slow traffic on the interstate.
Due to potential adverse weather, controlled blasting that was scheduled to occur this evening (Thursday, July 23) in the median of Interstate 84 between Twin Falls and Jerome has been delayed.
For safety, this activity cannot take place if there is a possibility of lightning in the area. The next expected days for controlled blasting are Tuesday and Wednesday of next week.
Public comment to help guide ITD’s Disadvantage Business Enterprise (DBE) program with its multi-year methodology is being sought through August 24. The DBE program works to provide a level playing field for minority-owned or under-represented businesses in the design and construction of federally funded transportation projects.
Due to Covid-19, two virtual meetings will be held online. The virtual meeting log in and call-in instructions can be found below. The DBE document for public review can also be found below.
Normally, bridges moving is not something an engineer wants to see, but this weekend construction crews slid the first of two new bridges at the Interstate 84 Blacks Creek Interchange sixty feet into place — where it will stay for decades to come.
The slide-in-place maneuver was designed to minimize impacts to the heavily traveled Interstate. Crews construct the bulk of the new bridge right next to the existing structure. When ready, the old bridge is demolished and the replacement structure is slid into place.
“The driving force behind choosing a lateral bridge slide method was our focus on the people we serve and their ability to get where they need to go.” said Patrick Kelly, the ITD project manager overseeing the work. “We were able to keep lanes open during the entire bridge construction process. Once it was ready, we closed the eastbound lanes, demolished the old structure, pushed the new bridge into place, and are wrapping up construction on the adjacent roadway. In the end, we will have closed interstate lanes of traffic for weeks rather than months.”
The whole process, from demolition to reopening traffic, will take two to three weeks. Normal bridge replacements can take several months. With the new bridge in place, crews have just a few final items to complete, including work at the bridge abutments and repaving approaches.
To get the bridge from temporary footings to its permanent home, crews lay down Teflon pads and cover them with dish soap. Then, heavy machinery pushes and pulls the structure into place. It’s a surprisingly effective way to reduce friction and easily move the massive structure.
“Seeing how smoothly the bridge slid into place was very satisfying.” said Kelly. “It has been months of planning, preparation, and a lot of hard work to get to this point. The crews from Knife River have done a wonderful job and should be very proud of the work they’ve done.”
This method has been used before in the Gem State when, in 2014, the Lardo Bridge on ID-55 in McCall was replaced. There, as it is at Blacks Creek, the highway is an essential connection and lengthy disruptions are very impactful.
The second bridge for the westbound lanes has been constructed next to the old structure. Crews are currently finishing up the eastbound side of the interchange, including work on ramps and Blacks Creek Road. They will be ready to slide the westbound bridge into place in early August using the same method.
Crews will begin sealcoating portions of US-12 and US-95 starting Wednesday, July 22 to protect the roadway surface and provide greater traction for motorists. This work is expected to extend into early August.
The work will take place in a 30-mile stretch of US-12, from Spalding Bridge to the west end of Orofino, and a five-mile stretch of US-95, from the Spalding Bridge to the west end of Aht’Wy Plaza. The work will begin near Orofino and progress west.
Delays of up to 15 minutes can be expected, with east- and westbound traffic reduced to one lane each through four-lane sections and all traffic reduced to one lane through two-lane sections during working hours. A pilot car will be used to safely guide traffic. It will be a “rolling” work zone, progressing in two-mile segments as the work moves.
Crews will work a weekday schedule of 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. No weekend work is anticipated but may be required in order to achieve a timely completion of the project.
Sealcoating is a surface treatment performed during the summer months to preserve and extend the life of Idaho’s roadways by applying a layer of oil and rock chips. The process requires hot temperatures and dry weather for rocks to properly adhere to the oil.
Rock chips placed during sealcoats have potential to cause windshield damage so drivers are cautioned to slow down when traveling to and from these areas.
The Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) is surveying the community this month in relation to plans for replacing the Clearwater Memorial Bridge on US-12 in Lewiston.
A survey will be open until August 3 at itdprojects.org/us12memorialbridge. The department will also conduct in-person surveys of pedestrians and bicyclists on the bridge this Sunday and Monday.
“We recognize that the Clearwater Memorial Bridge is an important asset to this community,” Project Manager Curtis Arnzen said. “As plans are finalized we will speak with stakeholders to learn how we can best accommodate them during construction.”
Construction will include building a new bridge deck over the existing piers. The new deck will feature the same number of lanes but also provide wider sidewalks, shoulders and a painted median.
Design plans will be completed in 2021, and construction is anticipated to begin in 2023.
On Monday (July 20) work in the median of Interstate 84 will require traffic to be intermittently delayed. This is part of the interstate rehabilitation project that has been underway since May of this year. Carefully controlled blasting is required to loosen the hard rock in the median.
“We completed crossovers earlier this month and are now moving into the next phase of the project which entails storm water and draining construction,” said ITD South-central Idaho Project Manager Brock Dillé. “This phase of the project requires us to blast portions of the median which will have a short term impact on traffic.”
For the safety of drivers, traffic must be stopped in the surrounding area while blasting is underway.
“There are four locations in the median that we need to address,” stated Dillé. “We expect these activities to take place on various days between July 20 to August 20. Blasting may produce delays for motorists up to 60 minutes although we anticipate the delays to be much shorter.”
In addition to traffic being stopped on I-84, the interstate on ramps at Exit 165 eastbound, 168 westbound and 173 westbound will also be closed while blasting occurs. A portion of the work will require closures on the north and south frontage roads (Bob Barton Road and East Frontage Road) as well.
After each blast, crews will ensure the roadway is safe and free of all debris before reopening the highway to traffic.
Dillé explains that timing of this work is very important. “We have to blast during daylight hours, but we are very conscious of the impact it will have on the traveling public, which is why we are undertaking this task in the evening when traffic on the interstate is past its peak hours.”
Blasting will not begin before 7:30 pm.
ITD is asking motorists to consider using alternate routes while this activity is underway. Electronic message boards and signage will be placed on the interstate several days in advance of each event. Motorists are advised to adhere to signs and pay attention to flaggers and pace cars that will be utilized to slow traffic on the interstate.
The general contractor is Western Construction of Boise.
