The Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) has completed the reconstruction of the Middleton Road Bridge over I-84 ahead of schedule and will open it to the public tonight, the agency says.
The reconstruction was necessary to make room for additional travel lanes for I-84. ITD has begun the first phase of constructing a third travel lane in each direction. The new Middleton Road Bridge is long enough that a future fourth lane can be constructed without conflict, according to the department.
The bridge was rebuilt ahead of schedule by contractor Concrete Placing Company. The cost of construction was $5.5 million.
The new bridge features a travel lane in each direction, wider shoulders, and a sidewalk on the north side. The design allows for future expansion of Middleton Road without the need to rebuild the entire structure. The project also constructed a signal at the intersection of Middleton Road and Cherry Lane, north of I-84.
“This project went really well and this new bridge is a great investment for transportation in the area,” ITD Project Manager Michael Lucas said in a statement. “We had a lot of coordination with some local road projects and the work on the interstate. The crews worked through COVID-19 complications, adverse weather, and a lot of night work to get the job done. I appreciate the public’s patience during construction.”
The department will quickly move to the second bridge over I-84 restricting the widening—Ustick Road. That bridge lies a little over a mile to the west of the Middleton Road Bridge. The Ustick Road bridge reconstruction project requires two separate bridge structures to be rebuilt, one over I-84 and the other crossing the Notus Canal.
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SOURCE: Idaho Transportation Department
