The new Pleasant View Road Interchange on State Highway 53 is scheduled to fully open to traffic on Friday, marking a major milestone for the Idaho Transportation Department. Once open, all traffic will use the interchange overpass and associated on- and off-ramps to access SH-53, or cross the highway and adjacent BNSF railroad tracks to access local roadways in the area.
Ahead of the opening, SH-53 will be closed through the project area starting at 8 p.m. Thursday night, Sept. 24, through early Friday morning, Sept. 25, as crews paint the final roadway markings. Traffic will be detoured overnight via McGuire Road and Prairie Avenue.
Additional traffic changes will follow as crews transition the area into its final configuration.
Starting Monday, Sept. 28, access between Prairie Avenue and SH-53 will permanently close. Additionally, crews will begin realigning the Prairie Avenue and Beck Road intersection into a smooth curve to connect the two as a single, continuous road. This section will be closed for up to a week as work is completed. Traffic will be detoured to Seltice Way.
Starting Monday, Oct. 5, access between McGuire Road and SH-53 will also permanently close and a cul-de-sac will be constructed as the endpoint to McGuire Road south of the railroad tracks. At that point, all traffic in the area will be consolidated to the new Pleasant View Interchange for access to SH-53 and travel across the highway and railroad tracks.
“We’re excited to reach this major milestone and fully open the new interchange to traffic,” Project Manager James Dorman said. “While there is still work to be done, we appreciate the community’s continued patience and commitment to driving safely.”
Construction began in late 2024, and the completed improvements will provide safer, more consistent travel through the area by allowing for safer merging, eliminating cross traffic at several locations and eliminating wait times at railroad crossings through use of the new overpass bridge.
For some drivers, the new configuration will mean traveling farther than they do today to reach the new interchange. While those trips may be less direct, consolidating traffic at the new interchange eliminates several conflict points and provides a safer, more predictable route through the area.
The permanent closure of the Prairie Avenue and McGuire Road crossings is part of the Federal Railroad Administration grant awarded to ITD in 2023. The grant program was created to improve safety at rail crossings and reduce conflicts between trains and vehicles. Closing these three crossings will eliminate locations where vehicles and trains currently cross paths.
Once these key construction activities are complete, crews will continue finishing drainage and landscaping work into spring 2027 when the project is scheduled for full completion. Most of this work will take place along the shoulders and away from through traffic, resulting in only minor impacts for drivers and the surrounding community.
ITD appreciates drivers’ patience and encourages motorists to slow down and use caution when traveling through all work zones. Visit the SH-53 Pleasant View interchange project page, itd.idaho.gov/project/sh-53-pleasant-view-interchange/, for more information. For statewide traffic information, visit 511.idaho.gov, dial 511 or download the Idaho 511 app to any smart device.