COEUR d’ALENE, Idaho – Starting Monday, the Idaho Transportation Department is beginning a four-year project to widen Interstate 90 between State Highway 41 in Post Falls and U.S. Highway 95 in Coeur d’Alene. As additional features to I-90 are added, teams will manage lanes and speeds for traffic safety.
Initial construction tasks are tree removal from the center median and shoulders, setting up temporary barriers, installing signs, minor traffic shifts and starting construction on the Prairie Trail Bridge, according to the Idaho Transportation Department.
Digital signs will be put up displaying variable speed limits, which will adjust based on nearby work activity. The Transportation Department said that drivers should pay extra attention to posted speed limits and drive accordingly.
Work will continue through the fall and winter and will typically take place on weekdays during both daytime and nighttime.
During daytime construction, two lanes of travel will be maintained in both directions. Lanes might be reduced during the night as needed.
Funding for the project comes primarily from the Transportation Expansion and Congestion Mitigation (TECM) fund as a part of Governor Brad Little’s Leading Idaho initiative. TECM funding was collected through bond sale proceeds and other funding and contains over $2 billion.
The goal of the new I-90 project is to “ease congestion, enhance safety and position the corridor to accommodate continued growth for years to come.”
The project is the first element of the larger I-90 Corridor study to move into construction. It was prioritized for its significant potential impact.
Other pieces of the project include adding two lanes to each direction of the I-90, replacing and widening bridges over Huetter Road, Atlas Road and Prairie Trail, realigning and improving roadside sections of the Prairie and Centennial trails and increasing the length of on- and off- ramps to allow for safer merging on I-90.
“Relieving congestion on this stretch of I-90 is one of the most common requests that ITD hears from the public and we are excited to begin work to improve the traveling experience on the I-90 corridor,” said Zach Feist, ITD Project Manager.
