The Idaho Transportation Department (IDT) plans to invest $17 million on US-12 in north-central Idaho for improvements, scheduled this summer, that include replacing the bridges over the Maggie and Fish creeks and repaving the highway between Lowell and the Idaho-Montana border.
“We are excited to have this opportunity to improve the corridor,” Joe Schacher, ITD’s manager for the improvements, said. “Some sections of the highway have deteriorated significantly due to heavy use and harsh weather conditions, and the bridges haven’t received major repairs since they were built in the early 1950s.”
Repaving will cost $13.3 million and will be completed by Knife River Corporation. Concrete Placing Company will replace Fish Creek Bridge for $2.1 million and Braun-Jensen Inc. will replace Maggie Creek Bridge for $1.5 million.
Construction is expected to run April through October. Work will be halted for Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, and Labor Day.
IDT also will work with the United States Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service to ensure visitors to Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests do not find travel severely impacted.
US-12 is two lanes, so Schacher is warning drivers to expect limited passing and delays up to two hours or longer.
The next stage of the project will add seal coats to approximately 60 miles of the highway. Sealing is expected in 2020 or 2021.