Bypass work will result in path delays

SANDPOINT — Pedestrians and cyclists on the Sandpoint-to-Sagle bike path can expect delays as crews transfer surcharge material for the U.S. Highway 95 bypass.

The surcharge material is being used to tamp down the Sand Creek Byway’s northbound on-ramp at the north end of the Long Bridge. The material is also squeezing moisture out of the on-ramp structure.

“There will be quite a bit of coordinating with the bike path,” said Snowbear Jonasson, project manager for lead contractor Parsons RCI.

The material will be transferred from the west side of the path to the east side, where it will be used for the railroad embankment. Path users are asked to use caution and to obey flaggers they encounter.

The surcharge transfer started Thursday and is scheduled to continue through Wednesday, July 14.

Contractor crews are preparing to install the decorative concrete wall facing for the retaining wall along the east side of the Sandpoint Depot access road. Depot visitors should expect minimal delays through July 14 while scores of pre-cast panels are installed on the east side of the mainline wall.

Deep-soil mixing is ongoing for the mainline wall between Sandpoint and Ponderay, as is maintenance of the pathway habitat improvements on the east side of Sand Creek. The path remains closed to the public until the bypass is completed for safety and liability reasons.

Mass excavation continues south of the U.S. 95/Highway 200 junction. By the end of the month, Highway 200 traffic will be shifted to the new highway alignment as work intensifies in and around the highway junction.

Jonasson estimates about 80 percent of the project’s excavation is complete.

Girders for mainspan bridges at the south end of the project are slated to be installed this fall.

• Construction update meetings are held at 11 a.m. on Thursdays in the Transportation Information Office at 202 North Second Ave. Updates can also be found on the Idaho Transportation Department’s website (itd.idaho.gov/projectsD1).