Pile driving continues on bypass project
SANDPOINT - Pile driving and excavation is expected to continue in the coming weeks for construction of the U.S. Highway 95 bypass.
Trucks will be delivering 60-foot lengths of pile from Sagle to the Idaho Transportation Department's snow-storage area at the north end of the Long Bridge. No traffic control is planned.
Equipment crossing and stop signs will remain on the bike and pedestrian path.
Excavation for piers near the mouth of Sand Creek is also slated to continue. The piers will be used to support the southbound portion of the Sand Creek Byway.
Construction hours are Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Dredging in Sand Creek between the Bridge and Cedar street bridges is complete and water is being released into the creek's new channel. The dredging was done to remove a large sandbar on the west side of the creek.
"They're getting ready to put Sand Creek into its new channel," ITD Engineer Ken Sorensen said on Thursday.
Sorensen said the bar was dredged and the material was hauled away to keep sediment from washing downstream into Lake Pend Oreille. The new channel will hug the western bank of the creek.
The dredging area, including ingress and egress, will be cleaned up as equipment is moved, ITD said.
Some trees and vegetation on both sides of the creek between the bridges will be removed in the coming weeks. Sorensen said the material will be fed into a tub grinder and then put on exposed slopes to protect them and provide an organic compost.
Water bladders on the east side of the creek will be installed as workers commence work on the shoreline extension.
Downtown Sandpoint Business Association Manager Kathleen Hyde said she has received positive feedback from members regarding Parsons RCI's efforts to minimize construction impacts.
Bob Clucas, senior project manager for lead contractor Parsons, was glad to hear that. He said the company's responsiveness to problems is essential and can only be demonstrated through action and not words.
"In order for us to get credibility, that's what we needed to do," he said.
The next construction update meeting is set for 11 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 8, at the Transportation Information Office, located at 202 North Second Avenue.
The weekly construction update can be found on the ITD Web page. Point your browser to www.itd.idaho.gov/project/d1 and look under the "Projects Currently Under Construction" header. Call the transportation office at 265-0897 if you have project questions.