ITD targets Silver Valley bridges for replacement

Motorists of the Silver Valley are set to see many orange cones and construction zones in their future as the Idaho Transportation Department kicks off a series of local projects in the next couple weeks.

ITD Public Information Officer Megan Jahns explains that the first project on their radar is the complete replacement of Interstate 90 bridges going over Division Street in Kellogg (milepost 50.6) and Elizabeth Park Road (milepost 52). Work is expected to begin either Monday, March 7 or March 14, depending on the weather, and finish in approximately two years.

Motorists should expect intermittent single lane closures, traffic signals and crossovers to the bridge that will not be being worked on — starting with the eastbound bridges.

Jahns explains that a crossover is where each direction of traffic has been reduced to a single lane to two lanes total, and then shifted it to one direction or the other.

Looking forward, ITD has five other projects lined up that are planned to begin sometime this year.

First up are the Westbound Golconda bridge and Lookout Pass guardrail replacement projects that are set to begin in either April or May.

The Westbound Golconda bridge will have crews shutting down one lane of traffic on that specific bridge as they repair the driving surface for roughly four months.

Up on Lookout Pass, intermittent guardrail replacement from Mullan to the Montana state line will cause single-lane closures on both sides of I-90 for approximately six weeks.

Looking forward to June, ITD crews will tackle the Cedars to Dudley and Wallace to Mullan repaving projects.

Affecting both lanes of travel from milepost 32.3 through 36.2, Jahns explains that four miles of repaving and barrier replacement is planned to take place, in addition to extra road protection.

“We already had this project programmed, but due to the potholes we had out there this winter, we were able to add some pavement preservation.”

For approximately three to four months, motorists can expect east and westbound single-lane closures. A crossover is expected at some point in the project as well.

Jumping back east, the Wallace to Mullan repaving project will have crews resurfacing both east and westbound lanes of I-90 in June as well.

This project also includes extra work being done at milepost 67 where a unique hillside trench has had a history of launching large rocks onto the roadway. Crews will replace the current damaged barrier with a taller fence, in addition to adding a large wall behind the guardrail.

This project work is expected to take roughly three months and will cause intermittent single-lane closures with a crossover.

ITD projects that are planned for 2022 but don’t currently have a set or estimated start date include followup work on the Hilltop overpass and the Shoshone County ramps project.

The Hilltop overpass work was part of a previous bridge project that started last year, but was never fully finished. When a contractor for the job is secured, motorists can expect single-lane closures for several weeks while the rails are repainted.

Lastly, ITD has its eye on the ramps of the county that have seen better days.

“We will be addressing the worst on and off ramps in Shoshone County,” Jahns said. “It’s one of the projects where we have a set dollar amount. We put it out to bid and the contractor that gets the bid is the one that can do the most repairs to the ramps or the money.”

Eyeing roughly 10 ramps to receive work, ITD estimates that it will take six weeks to complete the work. Shoulders will be closed and selected ramps will be fully closed while being worked on. These closures will be advertised a week in advance.