Efficient business practices and construction methods are occurring across the state. In this edition of ITD In Motion, Jennifer Gonzalez takes a look at three projects that aren’t just meeting ITD’s mission, but exceeding it.
BOISE – Motorists can expect daytime lane restrictions, speed reductions and intermittent detours during construction this summer and fall.
The project includes repaving Idaho 55 between Pride Lane in Caldwell and Middleton Road in Nampa and improving the intersections at Farmway Road, Lake Avenue and Midway Road.
Each intersection will be widened to include five lanes on Idaho 55 and three lanes on local roads. ITD will install a new traffic signal at Farmway and Midway roads and replace the traffic signal at Lake Avenue.
“The best way to learn about traffic restrictions is to sign up for emails from ITD,” said ITD Construction Coordinator Merrill Sharp. “The work schedule may change based on factors such as weather and utility work. We will send regular updates about what motorists can expect each week.”
During construction, lanes on ID-55 will be restricted during the day and the speed limit will be reduced. Traffic may be detoured around each intersection for several days.
The initial weeks of construction include widening the Farmway Road and Lake Avenue intersections and paving Idaho 55 between Pride Lane and Farmway Road.
“When complete, this project is expected to bring significant safety benefits for the 10,000 motorists who travel this stretch each day,” said Sharp. “While the road is under construction, however, we are asking motorists to plan ahead and expect delays.”
Construction details also will be posted to itd.idaho.gov/d3. To sign up for updates, text IDAHO55 to 22828 or email Jennifer.Gonzalez@itd.idaho.gov
LEWISTON – Milling and paving on Idaho Highway 8 is expected to impact drivers and businesses during daytime hours for the next week and a half. Crews will block three of the lanes, leaving one lane open in each direction.
Intersections and driveways may be temporarily closed during the rehabilitation. The worst traffic impacts during milling are expected to occur today through Monday (Aug. 2-7).
Crews will begin milling off the top section of roadway surface around 5 a.m., with paving coming through around 10 a.m. in that same section. The work is expected to continue throughout the day and finish by that evening.
Work on this $3.55 million job, contracted to Poe Asphalt, of Clarkston, Washington, is expected to finish by late September.
Heavy equipment operators – those who man excavators, graders, and dozers – are going the way of welder, pipe fitters, carpenters and other trades jobs; the demand for work is high but there are too few people skilled enough to do it.
Russ Rivera, a compliance officer with the Office of Civil Rights had an idea on how to change that. He secured federal grants to fund a three and a half week crash course to train heavy equipment operators.
Watch the video below for the full story.
BOISE – The Idaho Transportation Department will begin initial construction activities next week on a summer project to resurface deteriorated pavement on Interstate 84 between Nampa and Caldwell.
ITD will share details about construction activities and sequencing at a community open house Thursday, May 25 at the Hampton Inn at 5770 Franklin Road in Nampa. Community members are invited to come at their convenience from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. or from 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
ITD is using weekend and nighttime traffic control to minimize traffic impacts during the weekday commute.
During four weekends this summer, ITD will shift all I-84 traffic to one side of the interstate (eastbound or westbound) while crews work on the other side. On these four weekends, one lane of traffic will be open in both directions between Nampa and Caldwell from 7 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday. All lanes of I-84 will be open during the weekday.
Check out the project website here.
Final weekend dates will be scheduled based on factors such as traffic counts, weather predictions, equipment and materials availability, and the project schedule.
Community members may request email notification of the weekend dates by texting INTERSTATE84 to 22828. ITD will announce exact dates as soon as they are scheduled.
Other traffic impacts for the project will include occasional nighttime lane restrictions, shoulder closures and speed-limit reductions. The project includes resurfacing I-84, the Northside Boulevard interchange ramps and two ramps at the Franklin Boulevard Interchange. Guardrails will be improved throughout the project area.
Idaho Materials Construction is the contractor for this $9.5 million project.
Reconstruction of two bridges on U.S. 95 in Parma will begin in mid-April.
Work will occur at the junction of U.S. 95 and U.S. 20/26 and include the reconstruction of the Union Pacific Railroad overpass, Sand Hollow Creek Bridge and nearby pavement rehabilitation.
*The project is scheduled to be complete this winter.
*A posted detour will be in place during the project. A separate truck detour will also be posted. The speed limited will be reduced to 45 mph in the work zone. The speed limit will be reduced to 45 mph on U.S. 20/26 when shoulder or median work is occurring. Flaggers will assist motorists through the work zone during different phases of the project.
*Most work will occur Monday through Friday, and some Saturdays.
Motorists are encouraged to check 511.idaho.gov for construction updates and detour information. For a full list of construction projects scheduled to begin across southwest Idaho, please visit our website at itd.idaho.gov/d3 and click on the construction tab. Some updates will also appear on Twitter and Facebook.
With nearly 45 projects scheduled across the region this year, please plan ahead, slow down, and give yourself enough time when traveling through each work zone.
Construction season is once more gearing up across Idaho which means plenty of orange on the roads – on both people and cones.
Of course the orange isn’t there to make you think of hunting season or add some color to your drive. It’s to make you aware of the dangers present in work zones. When ITD employees wear orange they want you to see them and to slow down!
This year, more than 100 members of ITD’s staff who aren’t typically out on the roads came together and wore orange to share this message of safety, and to show support for those who take risks repairing and maintaining our roads and bridges. You can see a video of the event below.
Don’t forget, fines for traffic violations increase in work zones. More importantly, you can help be an agent for change by slowing down and driving cautiously when you come to a construction project.
Help our people make it home safe this year!
Keeping our roads safe often requires a lot of partnerships – from local governments, to businesses, and even drivers. ITD crews in eastern Idaho are receiving praise for their efforts to repair a heavily damaged traffic signal in Pocatello.
“I cannot recall a project that went as smoothly as this one,” said Mike Neville the Traffic Operations Supervisor for the City of Pocatello.
The signal at the corner of Oak and Yellowstone in Pocatello was heavily damaged earlier this month after it was hit by a truck. Within a week workers from District 5 were ready to make repairs with a brand new signal pole.
“They did a great job of ensuring that the replacement pole was ready, on site, and would fit on the foundation,” Neville said. “It was nice to have such successful cooperation between ITD and the City of Pocatello.”
Replacing the pole took ITD crews away from their families so they could work with while there were fewer cars on the road. Their professionalism, even on their off-day, was noted by those in the area.
“While I do not look forward to additional poles being struck by vehicles, I do look forward to being able to work together again in the near future,” said Neville.
To aid traffic flow for tens of thousands of drivers during upcoming construction on Interstate 15 in eastern Idaho, the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) is turning to new technology. Bluetooth-based roadway sensors in the Interstate 15 median will provide real-time travel information during construction starting later this spring.
Between this spring and next year, ITD will resurface deteriorated pavement on I-15 and make numerous bridge repairs. Construction will include multiple work zones along a 140-mile stretch of I-15 between Utah and Montana.
More than 50 sensors will be connected to portable message signs (similar to those seen in this picture, but attached to poles rather than sign posts) located at the beginning of construction zones to communicate traffic impacts ahead. Sensors pick up the Bluetooth signal on phones or in vehicles as they pass any two points in the work zone, and the times between them are calculated in order to find average travel speeds.
ITD will also make the real-time travel data available to the public through a mobile app being developed, and is working to place the information on the project website.
The sensors will help ITD monitor traffic conditions during summer/fall construction, and during the winter months.
“This technology will give us reliable traffic data we can use to maximize traffic flow and make our work zones safer,” said Dan Harelson, ITD District 5 Engineering Manager. “ITD is asking motorists to plan extra time to travel through construction. Pay attention to signage and changing traffic patterns this summer.”
Similar Bluetooth sensors have been used successfully at various places in Idaho and Utah. The sensors will be removed once construction is complete on I-15. Additional sensors will be installed on U.S. 20 and U.S. 91 during the same timeframe.
To request email updates during I-15 construction, email comments@itd.idaho.gov or text INTERSTATE15 to 22828. The I-15 App will be available later this year on Google Play and the App Store.
Shifting ground from a very wet spring has caused sections of State Highway 5 to heave and collapse.
ITD has completely shut down ID 5 between Parkside Rd. and Conklin Park Rd. A mud slide beneath the road has caused it to crack and sink. In some areas, the road is gone entirely. At this point in time, engineers fear the section of road may be a total loss.
Crews will start to do exploratory drilling Friday and into the weekend. This will help discover the extent of the slide and what repairs may be needed once shifting stops.
ITD first noticed significant damage last Monday. Initially, small 3-inch wide cracks formed on the road surface. By Tuesday those cracks were 8 inches wide and more than six feet deep. Since then the road has steadily deteriorated and continues to shift.
Motorists are advised to detour around the dangerous area. ID 3 and ID 6 are the best options. Local traffic has been using the state park road, but that is now restricted due to unstable ground. Local authorities are asking those roads be used only for local emergency traffic.
