Sand Creek exit closed Sunday

SANDPOINT — The southbound off ramp at Sand Creek will be closed on Sunday.

Southbound drivers needing to stop in Sandpoint should take the U.S. 2/ID-200 exit. This only applies to the southbound ramp and only on Sunday.

There will be signage in place.

Currently, there are many active construction sites on or near the Long Bridge. Near the south side of the Long Bridge is a project on Lakeshore Drive. Acceleration lanes and re-striping will be added to the intersection immediately preceding the Long Bridge, but the project is not working on the bridge itself. The project will keep traffic flow open in both directions, driving times will be minimally impacted.

This Saturday and Sunday there will be a project that is expected to add significant delays to driving times. Crews will lay pavement filling a section on the north portion of the bridge. The project will only leave one lane of traffic open and flaggers will be present to guide the flow of traffic.

Drivers will need to bring patience to their commute, especially considering the irregular timing of the project on a weekend.

“This is probably something people won’t expect. Especially after a year of construction where we didn’t have work on the weekend,” said Megan Jahns, a public information officer for the Idaho Transportation Department.

ITD says that the lane closure won’t delay traffic as severely as the tangle on Oct. 7, which held up some drivers for upward of 90 minutes. But Jahns said that during peak travel times, drivers may want to consider the 46-mile alternative route through Priest River.

“This work is going to be from dawn to dusk, basically. This is a closure that you won't necessarily be able to avoid,” Jahns said.