Public safety emphasized at bypass site

SANDPOINT — Builders of the U.S. Highway 95 bypass are emphasizing the need for the public to stay clear of construction zones in Sand Creek as work on the rerouting project progresses.

There have been no reports of injuries, although a number of people have entered the restricted construction site uninvited, according to project officials. The incursions are cause for concern because the work site is rife with hazards, especially as pile driving continues.

“This is a very big concern for us,” Tim Davis, senior project engineer for lead contractor Parsons RCI, said during Thursday’s bypass work update meeting.

Davis said signs will be sprouting up around the site to remind the public that the work zones are restricted. He acknowledged that the activity and machinery at the site can get the better of people’s curiosity, but said there are plenty of safe places with good vantage points to view the work.

The Bridge and Cedar street bridges, for instance, allow people to get a good look at the work site without entering it.

In other project news, officials from Parsons and the Idaho Transportation Department are poring over the results of pile testing in the creek. A final strike test was recently completed.

The testing is being done to verify piling tolerances and depths, which clears the way for the installation of piling used to actually construct the Sand Creek Byway.

“The consultants are reviewing that data as we speak,” Davis said.

Parsons also emphasized something they have been reminding residents and businesses since they arrived in town: Pile driving creates a lot of noise.

Those within earshot of the pile driving can also expect the racket to endure from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., six days a week, for the next six to eight months.

“It’s going to continue through the summer, all the way to late fall,” Davis said.

Kathleen Hyde, Downtown Sandpoint Business Association manager, asked Parsons to consider suspending pile driving during the annual wooden boat show, an event which attracts legions of enthusiasts to Sand Creek in July.

“A lot of merchants benefit from it,” Hyde said of the show.

Parsons took the request under advisement.

Parsons and ITD said a plan to address fire safety access on the east of Cedar Street Bridge is still pending.

n Construction update meetings are on Thursdays at 11 a.m. in the Transportation Information Office at 202 North Second Ave. Construction updates are also posted on the Web (itd.idaho.gov/projects/d1).