Work starts Wednesday on Lakeshore Drive project

Efforts to improve U.S. 95 near Sandpoint continue, with construction starting today at the intersection of Lakeshore Drive at the southern end of the Long Bridge.

Over the next six weeks, crews will build both southbound and northbound acceleration lanes for traffic turning onto U.S. 95 from Lakeshore Drive, Megan Jahns, ITD public information officer, said.

“The contractor will maintain one lane of traffic in each direction on the highway at all times, so impacts to drivers on U.S. 95 are expected to be minimal,” ITD project manager Phil Stout said.

The southern entrance to Smokehouse Road will close for the duration of work.

Crews will also establish turn lanes with new striping on Lakeshore Drive, ITD officials said. In addition, the existing center turn lane on U.S. 95 will transition to a dedicated turn lane for northbound traffic turning left onto the side street.

“This will be the first phase of improvements for this intersection,” Stout said. “We are currently designing the second phase, tentatively planned for 2022, which could include median U-turns for Lakeshore Drive and/or Bottle Bay Road.”

A signal is also planned with the second phase of improvements a few miles south at the intersection of U.S. 95 and Sagle Road.

“As it’s still in design, what is or isn’t included with the second phase could change,” Stout said. “We plan to host an open house in November once we have a better idea of what will work.”

The project was among those projects that received funding under House Bill 362. The legislation channeled $80 million in ongoing funding for transportation infrastructure projects statewide, allowing the state to bond for up to $1.6 billion. Idaho Governor Brad Little said previously that the amount is the single largest state investment in transportation infrastructure in the state's history.

Funding was achieved by redirecting a larger share of the existing sales tax to the funds that support transportation projects, state official said.

The plan, first suggested by Bonner County Road & Bridge officials, calls for a combination of acceleration lanes and U-turns. Lakeshore motorists would be routed into southbound traffic but would be able to reverse course safely and in fairly short order via the U-turns.

Construction is expect to take place over a two-year period, with the first phase beginning Wednesday. The second phase, set for the summer of 2022, would include U-turns at Lakeshore Drive and Bottle Bay Road, similar to those already in use in Ponderay.

Also included in the second phase of the project is the light at Sagle Road, which has been referred to as the "only seven-lane roadway" in North Idaho, with two turn lanes, four traffic lanes and a center lane.

A light will create breaks in traffic, which should also improve traffic flow in the area. It also should improve safety with truck traffic, giving the larger rigs a chance to safely get onto the highway, especially those headed north, Idaho Sen. Jim Woodward said.

Visit itdprojects.org/us95lakeshoredrive for more information, and go to 511.idaho.gov for updated traffic impacts.