I-90 projects on schedule

It feels like you can’t go more than a couple of miles on Interstate 90 through the Silver Valley without running into a stretch of road construction – and new projects seem to be popping up almost overnight.

The good news is that, unlike last summer when unusual weather caused numerous delays, according to Idaho Transportation Department Senior Public Information Officer Megan Jahns this year many of the projects are right on track or even ahead of schedule.

One of the longer stretches of construction, located near the western base of I-90, is progressing right on schedule.

Drivers may have noticed that the lanes that have been finished are significantly smoother, and the project is moving toward its final stages.

“Crews are currently working on building a concrete barrier for the median, installing the new drainage structures, and repairing underground, deteriorated pipes,” Jahns said.

Once the drainage is completed, the last step will be getting all of the paving finished and fresh lines painted.

ITD expects this project to fully wrap up by the end of this construction season but anticipates some mop-up work in the spring of 2024.

The westbound bridge replacements through Kellogg are much further along than their eastbound counterparts were at this time last year.

“Last year when construction began, our first step was to build crossovers in the median to allow traffic in one direction to be crossed over the median to run on the other set of lanes,” Jahns told the News-Press. “With those already built this year, it would look like we’re making quicker progress – we were able to start work on the bridges in March, rather than May.”

The bridge structure over Division Street is beginning to come together and Jahns said that the project will be at total completion in October.

The newest section of road work on I-90 between Wallace and Osburn is still in progress.

The plan is to repave that stretch of highway, as well as install a drainage system that will prevent the historically dangerous water-over-road dilemma that would occur near Wallace anytime a good rainstorm moved through the area.

Crews have spent the first part of the project scrapping more than a foot of old paving materials from the former eastbound lanes and they are now removing the debris.

The next step will be to rebuild the road, and then get it paved by the end of September.

The other side of the project will be completed next summer, with a similar project beginning between Osburn and Wallace.

Travelers should check 511.idaho.gov to learn about traffic impacts.