Wallace bridge project begins in two weeks
The 6th Street Bridge in Wallace has needed to be replaced for several years. The Wallace City Council recently approved a bid to get the project completed.
Courtesy photo
WALLACE –– The replacement project for Wallace’s 6th Street Bridge will begin on April 29.
The bridge, which crosses the South Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River and provides access from Wallace to Nine-Mile Canyon and Dobson Pass was put under severe weight restrictions six years ago. A year later, a temporary bridge was placed across the structure to allow heavier vehicles to pass over it, and has been in place ever since.
In February, Wallace’s City Council approved a bid from Apollo General Contracting for $3,788,755 to complete the project.
“Constructing the new bridge is expected to take about 167 working days, which is a lot less than it took to get to this point,” Councilwoman Michele Bisconer said.
Initially scheduled for replacement in 2026, the city was informed earlier this year that the project had been moved up to this spring and would be starting immediately.
Much of the funding for the project has come from different Federal grants as well as the Local Highway Technical Assistance Council’s (LHTAC) Local Rural Highway Investment Program (LRHIP).
“Preconstruction meetings have started, timelines established, and the project is underway,” Bisconer said. “During construction, the temporary bridge will remain, be utilized, and may be moved from one side of the bridge to the other. After construction is complete the city will begin the process to sell the temporary bridge.”
HMH Engineering designed the bridge and will assist Apollo in its development.
According to Bisconer, the Trail of the Coeur d ‘Alene’s, which runs on the Nine-Mile side of the bridge, will remain open during construction.
“Representatives from Apollo are working with the Trail of Coeur d’Alenes on a specific plan to create a buffer zone for pedestrian and bicycle traffic between the Bentham Road entrance to the temporary signals in the construction zone,” Bisconer said. “In addition, some summer events traditionally held under the bridge may be impacted, but the city will work with those specific event organizers on alternative solutions. As with all construction projects of this magnitude, there may be traffic delays, so please be patient, and drive carefully around the construction area as there may be changes to traffic as the project progresses. In the end, it will all be worth the wait.”
LRHIP is a program developed to assist small communities improve their roadway infrastructure and is funded by an exchange of Federal-aid Rural funds for Idaho Transportation Department State funds. Each project must go through an application process and the highest rated projects receive funding. Once a community has been awarded LHRIP funding, they must wait an entire year before applying again.