Idaho officials to replace bridge over I-84 damaged by fiery crash

Idaho officials have decided to replace rather than repair the Cloverdale Road overpass on I-84 near Boise that was damaged during a fiery, seven-vehicle crash that killed four people.

Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) board members on Friday approved spending up to $8 million to replace the bridge that sustained fire damage. The ITD board says it would have cost up to $1.5 million to repair the bridge.

The new bridge will have four travel lanes and a higher clearance over the interstate. The crash, which occurred on June 16 below the bridge, killed a commercial truck driver and four airmen from Mountain Home Air Force Base. Idaho Department of Transportation officials said an examination of the bridge found that the heat from the fire after the crash caused the damage. Officials said it caused steel cables and rebar added for strength in the concrete girders to separate from the concrete.

An ITD spokesman said the exterior of the concrete is not experiencing cracking or flaking, so it has been deemed safe to open the interstate beneath the bridge. Officials say replacing the bridge will take a full year.

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Source: Idaho State Journal