Crosswalk project to resume soon

SANDPOINT — A crosswalk project that was paved over by the Idaho Transportation Department will restart as soon as the state’s work is completed.

In an effort to make crossing downtown streets safer for pedestrians, the city began placing reflective crosswalk stripes earlier this summer, but the work was cut short, and then paved over by the Idaho Transportation Department.

It will cost the city approximately $750 to redo the work it completed in June, according to the public works department.

In addition, the city will pay $1,500 to cut out and re-trim 21 manhole covers in the state’s right of way, and $750 to cut out and lift the lip of five water valves that were paved over when the state resurfaced Highway 95.

Building inspector Don Carter said the city stopped its planned crosswalk work when it learned of ITD’s plans to resurface the highway.

“That’s why they quit,” Carter said.

Workers stopped laying down the reflective crosswalk stripes after completing three crosswalks in one lane of the highway downtown.

Transportation department spokeswoman Barbara Babic said the city is under contract with the state to redo the manhole lids.

Funding for the Highway 95 resurfacing in downtown Sandpoint — which accounted for a rough, cracked and potholed First Ave. — was not pinpointed until shortly before the work began, therefore the city was not notified until it had already started restriping the crosswalks, Babic said.

“There was no long-term planning,” she said. “We did it when the money was available.”

Seeing the state pave over the newly installed crosswalks was frustrating, councilman John Reuter said.

He said the city is required to ask the state to work in its right of way, therefore the state knew of the city project.

Then again, he said, the newly surfaced downtown is a great improvement over the former, beat-up, downtown streets.

“It’s hard to complain when the state comes in and paves your road,” he said.

In addition to the paving project, ITD has more work planned in Sandpoint this summer, Babic said.

It is in the process of building wheelchair ramps at street corners to comply with American Disability Act standards.

“There are 90 curbs to be done,” she said.

That includes the entire Highway 95 corridor, which makes up First and Fifth avenues, as well as Cedar and Pine streets and part of Highway 2 where it intersects Boyer and Division, she said.

The state will also stripe the newly paved streets.