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Construction coming up on
downtown Bonners Ferry bridges |
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May 22, 2014 |
Construction upgrades on the Kootenai River
Bridge on U.S. Highway 95 in Bonners Ferry will
begin soon, leading to periodic lane closures,
traffic shifts, and even closure of the Main
Street bridge approach during part of the
construction period. The Arizona Street Bridge
(the highway bridge that crosses over the
railroad tracks near the Kootenai River Inn)
will also see construction during the same time
frame, also with temporary lane and traffic
re-routing.
The Idaho Transportation Department announced
that crews will begin upgrades to these two
bridges on Monday, June 16. The work is expected
to last through the summer, until the first part
of September.
The northbound lanes will be closed for the
first part of the work, with all traffic on both
bridges routed onto the two southbound lanes.
When the northbound lanes are completed, traffic
will be shifted to those two newly-completed
lanes while the southband lanes are upgraded.
Plans are for both bridge decks to be upgraded.
The Kootenai River Bridge will receive an epoxy
overlay to provide an impermeable seal, while
the Arizona Street bridge deck will be
resurfaced and sealed with a silica fume
concrete.
That's not all. Additional work will also be
done on both bridges. The joints on each end of
the Kootenai River bridge where the bridge deck
meets the highway will be modified to eliminate
bumps one experiences when driving onto the
bridge deck. On the Arizona Street Bridge, the
bridge guardrails and the steel girders
underneath the bridge will be repainted.
During the construction period, a 10-foot width
restriction will be in place for oversized loads
during the traffic shift. Vehicle lengths will
be limited to normal, non-permitted legal
lengths.
Braun-Jensen Inc., of Payette, Idaho, is the
contractor on the $2.1 million project to
rehabilitate these two Bonners Ferry bridges.
Similar projects are being performed on bridges
throughout Idaho.
According to the Idaho Transportation
Department, this work will extend the lives of
the Arizona Street Bridge, originally
constructed in 1972, and the Kootenai River
Bridge, built in 1984. |
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