Hwy 57 sidewalk project underway

PRIEST RIVER — A construction project that began last month will ultimately increase safety for students who regularly make the trek along Highway 57 between the high school and junior high. 

In the meantime, however, with school underway as of Tuesday, the trek is a little more difficult as the asphalt is ripped up along the edge of the highway. Priest River Public Works Director Rex Rolicheck said the kids can walk around it behind the fencing.

"It's kind of difficult, but (work crews) are aware that when they are walking not to use the equipment," Rolicheck said. "They are conscious of trying to meet the need of the children going to school."

The scope of the Highway 57 sidewalk project includes improvements along the west side of the highway from Priest River Lamanna High School to Jefferson Avenue, and along Jefferson between Highway 57 and Tenth Street.

Rolicheck said the project derived from safety concerns about the children who walk that stretch of the highway during the school year. He said there were also some minor traffic incidents in the area, which helped drive the grant funding as well. The project is funded through a grant from the Idaho Transportation Department's Transportation Alternatives Program of just over $430,000, Rolicheck said.

"It was moved fairly easily up the scale for the state ... the concern was there, especially for the winters, they felt that safety was very important for the children," Rolicheck said.

In addition to sidewalks, the project will feature raised curbs and gutters, as well as rectangular rapid flashing beacons for added pedestrian safety. The two beacons will be located on Highway 57, with one at Jackson Avenue and one at the crosswalk by Mac's.

As the city is trying to stay within the funding provided by the state, Rolicheck said the project was broke up and Tenth Street sidewalk improvements were removed from the design. After initial project bids came in too high, delaying the project, the bid was ultimately awarded to NNAC Construction out of Coeur d'Alene. Due to some compaction issues, work stalled out on Friday and Tuesday, but are scheduled to be back at it today, Rolicheck said.

The excavation is complete along Highway 57 and the next step, Rolicheck said, will be dumping and grading of the crushed aggregate, forming and pouring of the sidewalk and ADA ramps, and curb and gutter installment. If all goes as planned, crews will be moving to Jefferson Avenue the week of Sept. 17, Rolicheck said. They will begin work on Jefferson while continuing the work along Highway 57. The goal, he said, is to be finished with the project by the first week of October.

Mary Malone can be reached by email at mmalone@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow her on Twitter @MaryDailyBee.