Road project to kick into high gear

PONDERAY — Construction workers in Ponderay Triangle are becoming a more frequent sight as the Sandpoint-to-Kootenai Cutoff construction project progresses.

With several aspects of the Apollo Construction project complete, workers are beginning some utility work before setting to the road expansion itself. In the last week of July, construction will move toward the north end of Ponderay. Businesses and drivers alike can expect construction to move into the southern end of town around mid-August.

The groundwork for the progress was set when workers completed some important preliminary projects. First, workers finished extension of the Kootenai- Ponderay sewer line north of Schweitzer Mountain Road. They then set to work on the storm water treatment system, which is now installed and operational on the south end of the Triangle.

“So far, any impact on the motoring public has been extremely minimal,” Ponderay Police Chief Mike Hutter said.

In the coming weeks, work will continue to extend the storm water treatment system to the north end of the project. One task already started, the excavation of the mechanically stabilized earth wall in the southwest corner of the area, will continue in the next couple weeks. Since that requires a continual flow of trucks into the area, pedestrians and bicyclists should avoid the construction area and stay on the other side of the barricade. Finally, employees will need to relocate all utility infrastructure in the project area, which includes Avista, Frontier, Northland and Sandpoint City Water. Finally, the project will require water filtration systems set up to make sure the project moves forward in accordance with environmental standards.

The road work that will likely have a greater impact on traffic and business access will begin the last week of July at the north end of the project area. A sparser location when it comes to business density, it will nevertheless affect places like Sweet Lou’s and the Holiday Inn.

The biggest impact won’t come until mid-August when construction will move south where businesses are packed more tightly. However, project officials will meet with business owners a day or two in advance to let them know the impact work will have on their operations.

As work moves into more-frequented parts of town, Apollo Construction will take measures to help drivers out. In addition to the traffic control workers, impacted areas will feature reader boards and business access signage to clarify routes. Drivers should maintain the reduced speed limit of 35 mph to keep the road safe for everyone.