Sand Creek Byway going out to bid April 22

SANDPOINT - April 22 is a day some thought would never come and a date others hoped would never arrive.

That's the day the Idaho Transportation Department puts out a request for bids for the U.S. Highway 95 bypass in Sandpoint.

“This will be the largest single project ever let in Idaho,” Barbara Babic, ITD's Panhandle spokeswoman, said on Tuesday.

The state has estimated the Sand Creek Byway will cost about $92 million, although some project opponents contend the figure now exceeds $100 million.

The bids will be opened on May 20 at ITD headquarters in Boise. Barring any irregular bids or protests, construction on the highway re-routing plan could start after the Fourth of July holiday, according to Babic.

The plan set and attendant documents cover about 1,200 pages.

The North Idaho Community Action Network, which is leading the charge to have the project stopped to protect the waterfront and Sand Creek, was not fazed by the looming bidding.

“We've been expecting it. They've been saying for a while that they were going to go to bid and now apparently they are,” said NICAN Executive Director Liz Sedler, who quickly added, “We're ready for ‘em.”

Sedler said the group will file a preliminary injunction when the bypass goes to bid. A temporary restraining order addressing construction is likely, she said.

The bid announcement comes about two weeks after a U.S. District Court judge rejected a lawsuit NICAN filed against the Federal Highway Administration's permit approval of the project. Sedler said counsel for NICAN has filed a notice of appeal to put the case before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Also pending is NICAN's lawsuit against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over its OK of the project. An Idaho Department of Lands encroachment is being challenged in 1st District Court and the Idaho Department of Water Quality's approval of the project is the subject of an administrative appeal. NICAN is not involved in the latter two actions.

The byway is one of four segments which make up the Sandpoint North & South project. The other segments, none of which have currently have funding, address the Long Bridge and highway connections in Sagle and Ponderay.

The byway portion is expected to be built over four construction seasons. The contractor selected by the Idaho Transportation Board will coordinate construction traffic.

Damon Allen, ITD's District 1 engineer said public involvement has been a key factor in the development of the project.

The public's influence on the design of the project is reflected in the southbound off-ramp for downtown access, bike and pedestrian pathways, and aesthetic features such as vegetated walls. Allen said the public involvement plan, which the state developed with Washington Group International and CH2M Hill, ensured the community's voice was heard.

“We have learned a great deal from the Sandpoint area community and what the community vision is for the Sand Creek corridor,” Allen said in a statement. “We believe this project will be a source of community pride when it's completed.”