Massacre Rocks rest stop to close next week

Beginning Monday, the Interstate 86 westbound rest stop west of American Falls will be closed for maintenance. Crews will be repainting and landscaping. Work will continue until Monday, August 18.

Historic System Interchange rebuild nearing successful completion

Aerial view of the system interchange at Pocatello.

With the painting of final lane markers on the new roadway, construction at the I-86/I-15 “Flying-Y” System Interchange in Pocatello is coming to a successful conclusion. Begun in July 2022, the three-year $112 million project has dramatically changed the drivability of the interchange.

“We spent over eight years from design to actual construction of the project. We’re pretty proud of it. It’s one of the bigger projects we’ve designed. It’s one of the largest projects ever designed entirely by ITD staff and inspected with ITD personnel. Most of the people on the team live here locally and this has been a really meaningful project for us to make sure we did our very best,” said Project Engineer Aaron Baird.

Critical areas that were improved include the northbound Pocatello Creek on-ramp, the northbound-to-westbound collector distributor, and the eastbound-to-northbound ramp. Each of those improvements made merging from one Interstate to the other smoother and safer for motorists.

“We’re excited for people to use the final product. We hope it’s something that will last a long time and keep the travelling public safe as they use it,” said Project Manager Greg Roberts.

The scale of the endeavor has been truly historic. Approximately 1 million cubic yards of excavation have been completed. In addition, about 490,000 tons of base material was brought in; 116,000 tons of asphalt were placed; and over 7,700 cubic yards of concrete were poured. Nearly 70,000 square feet of retaining walls were also built throughout the project area. Finally, ITD built eight new bridges. Four of those have precast concrete girders and four have steel girders. In all, over 5 million pounds of steel has been used in the new bridges.

Construction crews worked year-round and around the clock for approximately three years to complete the project. To minimize disruption to traffic, key demolition operations were conducted at night. These efforts minimized the impact on traffic while the interchange was being reconstructed.

In addition to the major changes inside the Flying-Y design, the Chubbuck Road overpass was reconstructed as an underpass to improve site distances and vertical clearance on I-15, and to improve access to the Wellness Center from Chubbuck. The new underpass is significantly wider and includes bike lanes and sidewalks.

ITD also worked closely with the Portneuf Greenway to construct a pedestrian and bicycle path on the east side of the worksite to connect the Greenway to the Wellness Center.

Work left to wrap up the project will be off the roadway and conducted on the shoulders. In addition, ITD will be seeding open ground with native grasses.

“Thank you for being patient with us and seeing our vision, seeing what we’re trying to do to positively impact this community,” said Project Manager Zak Johnson.

District Engineer Todd Hubbard echoed those sentiments, “This project has been a great success and is an important addition to the community for the safety of drivers. It has been a lot of work to get all of it completed and to keep traffic moving. I want to thank everyone for their patience as we have worked on this project over the last three years. And a thank you to the project team and Sundt-Cannon Joint Venture for a project well done.”

Drivers are encouraged to remain attentive, move over for workers and emergency vehicles, and follow posted speed limits.

Chubbuck Road to open for Fourth of July weekend

Chubbuck road underpass as viewed from the west.

Chubbuck Road is open for traffic under Interstate 15. As part of the redesign of the System Interchange project Chubbuck Road was rebuilt as an underpass with lanes for bicycles and sidewalks. Over the last month the new underpass was closed so crews could build the eastbound lane, construct sidewalks, paint permanent lines and add signs.

ITD expects no further closures of Chubbuck Road. However, crews will continue to work around the site adding vegetation and doing cleanup work. Drivers are encouraged to slow down for workers on and near the roadway.

No cleanup work will occur during the holiday.

Originally built in the 1960s, the I-86 and I-15 System Interchange is undergoing a rebuild to improve safety and replace aging infrastructure. This week crews are painting the final lane lines throughout the project area. Once the lines are completed the remainder of the project will consist of seeding vegetation and other cleanup work that will not affect traffic.

Motorists are encouraged to use 511.idaho.gov or the 511 app to keep track of project detours. Project details are available on ITD’s projects website at itdprojects.idaho.gov/i-86i-15-system-interchange.

Chip sealing to begin Wednesday at I-86 and I-15 System Interchange

Aerial photo of the system interchange at Pocatello.

Beginning tomorrow the Idaho Transportation Department will chip seal the System Interchange in Pocatello. Once this work is complete, the roadway will be restriped to indicate the final lane configurations.

Chip sealing covers temporary lane markings used throughout various phases of construction and maximizes the taxpayers’ investment by extending the lifespan of the pavement. A sticky slurry is sprayed on the pavement then rock chips are applied on top for a long-lasting seal. This treatment protects pavement from sun, oxidation, weather, water, oil and gas, and increases traction for safety.

Tabs will be placed on the new chip seal to indicate lanes for the short time before striping work can occur.

The previous connection between I-86 and I-15 was originally built in the 1960s. Now nearing completion, the System Interchange is a $112 million redesign to improve safety and replace aging infrastructure that began construction in 2022.

Motorists should carefully follow signs and slow down to posted speed limits while traveling through the construction area. With crews working day and night at the System Interchange, it is especially important that drivers be alert and travel safely.

Motorists are encouraged to use 511.idaho.gov or the 511 app to keep track of related detours. Project details are available on ITD’s website at itdprojects.idaho.gov/i-86i-15-system-interchange.

System Interchange project enters final year of construction

Photograph showing I-15 southbound lane during construction.

The Idaho Transportation Department’s $112 million rebuild of the System Interchange for Interstate 86 and Interstate 15 at Pocatello is entering its final year of construction with crews working in multiple areas throughout the worksite.

Five bridges were built in the last year, bringing the project total up to eight new structures. Two of the new bridges are steel and measure 414 feet long each. The other three bridges are concrete and measure a total of 387 feet in length. The construction of these bridges included 725 feet of 8-foot diameter concrete shafts installed underground for bridge foundations. In addition, 10,000 feet of steel piles were also driven underground for bridge foundations.

The massive project registered other impressive statistics in 2024:

247,319 cubic yards of dirt moved.
143,500 tons of structural dirt imported.
4,000 cubic yards of concrete poured.
55,894 tons of asphalt placed.
568,862 pounds of metal reinforcement installed.

In the coming year several items will be completed to button up the project.

The new southbound-to-westbound ramp will be completed.
The old northbound-to-westbound ramp will be removed.
The temporary southbound-to-westbound ramp will be removed.
The roadway north of the Pocatello Creek on-ramp will be built to its final grade. This will allow movement from Pocatello Creek to Chubbuck and remove the detour currently in place.
The new Chubbuck Road underpass roadway will be completed.
A chip seal will be applied to extend the life of the new asphalt pavement installed by the project, and the road will be restriped to its final lane configuration.
Bridge approaches will be smoothed out to remove bumps made during construction.

Construction is anticipated to be completed in August.

“We appreciate the community’s patience as ITD continues to work with the contractor to button up work items and complete the remaining tasks for this historic project,” Project Manager Greg Roberts said. “ITD is excited to see the travelling public use this updated system interchange for years to come.”

Originally built in the 1960s, the I-86 and I-15 System Interchange is undergoing a rebuild to improve safety and replace aging infrastructure.

Motorists should carefully follow signs and posted speed limits while traveling through the construction area. With crews working day and night at the System Interchange it is especially important that drivers be alert and travel safely.

Ramp closure scheduled at the System Interchange

Map of system interchange in Pocatello showing detour through Northgate Interchange.

Beginning tomorrow night, the northbound to westbound ramp of the Interstate 86/Interstate 15 System Interchange will be closed to allow for demolition of the old eastbound to northbound bridge. Traffic intending to travel westbound on Interstate 86 from northbound Interstate 15 will be detoured through the Northgate Interchange. Work will continue until Thursday when the ramp reopens at 7:30 a.m.

Originally built in the 1960s, this is the last existing bridge of the System Interchange that will need demolition as part of the $112 million redesign. The project is scheduled to be completed next summer.

Motorists should carefully follow signs and posted speed limits while traveling through the construction area. With crews working day and night, it is especially important that drivers be alert and proceed safely through the work zone.

Motorists are encouraged to use 511.idaho.gov or the 511 app to keep track of project detours. Project details are also available at itdprojects.idaho.gov/pages/i-86i-15-system-interchange

System Interchange weekend ramp closure begins tomorrow

Map showing System Interchange detour through Northgate

Beginning tomorrow at noon the eastbound Interstate 86 to southbound Interstate 15 ramp will be closed while crews construct a temporary road to the new eastbound to southbound ramp. Eastbound traffic on I-86 looking to travel south on I-15 will be detoured north through the Northgate Interchange (Exit 73). The closed ramp will reopen late Sunday.

This work will allow the eastbound lanes to be adjusted to the grade of the new ramp. Doing the work this weekend will limit traffic impacts during the peak Labor Day weekend.

Originally built in the 1960s, the I-86 and I-15 System Interchange is undergoing $112 million of redesign work to improve safety and replace aging infrastructure. The project is scheduled to be completed next summer.

Motorists are encouraged to use 511.idaho.gov or the 511 app to keep track of project detours. Project details are available here on ITD’s projects website.

Ramp opens at I-86 and I-15 System Interchange

Photo of the new eastbound to northbound ramp

Starting this evening, motorists will encounter new traffic patterns at the Interstate 86 and Interstate 15 System Interchange in Pocatello. The newly constructed I-86 eastbound to I-15 northbound ramp is set to open to traffic tonight. Alongside this change, the rightmost lane of I-86 eastbound will be closed as part of the new traffic configuration.

Drivers should also be aware that the split point for the eastbound-to-northbound and eastbound-to-southbound lanes will be shifted to the west, near the Hiline Bridge.

Motorists are encouraged to stay informed about the latest traffic updates and detours by visiting 511.idaho.gov or using the 511 app. Additional details about the project can be found on ITD’s projects website at itdprojects.idaho.gov/pages/i-86i-15-system-interchange.

System Interchange nighttime ramp closures begins at Pocatello

Beginning tomorrow evening the north-to-west ramp of the System Interchange at Pocatello will be periodically closed to allow for girder placement for a new bridge.

Girders are horizontal steel beams designed to support the bridge deck. As the beams are placed over the northbound to westbound ramp it is necessary to close the roadway beneath for the safety of the travelling public.

Closures are scheduled for:

Wednesday from 9:00 p.m. until 1:00 a.m.
Friday from 8:00 p.m. until 6:00 a.m.
Monday July 22 from 8:00 p.m. until 6:00 a.m.
Wednesday July 24 from 8:00 p.m. until 6:00 a.m.
Thursday July 25 from 8:00 p.m. until 6:00 a.m.

Traffic traveling north on I-15 wishing to proceed west on I-86 toward Chubbuck will be detoured through the Northgate Interchange.

While this work continues, weather is a major factor for the timing of closures. Motorists are encouraged to keep up-to-date via 511.idaho.gov or the 511 app to keep track of project detours. Project details are available here on ITD’s projects website.

Nighttime detour planned for I-15/I-86 System Interchange this week

Beginning tonight and continuing through Wednesday morning, nighttime closures will be in place for a section of Interstate 15 and Interstate 86 at the System Interchange allowing crews to safely place girders for one of the new bridges.

The I-86 eastbound to I-15 northbound ramp will be closed from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Monday and Tuesday nights. Drivers looking to head north on I-15 from I-86 will be detoured through the Pocatello Creek Interchange.

Ongoing construction at the System Interchange will improve safety and mobility while replacing bridges built in the 1960s. Work is expected to be complete in 2025.

Motorists should exercise caution while travelling through the construction zone. Those wishing to receive email updates about the System Interchange project can sign up online.

Drivers can also use the 511 app for the latest traffic conditions on all state roadways.