Work nears on street alignment project

PRIEST RIVER — Area residents will have to wait just a touch longer for the start of the highly anticipated Wisconsin Street realignment project.

The early spring snows have pushed the start of the project to March 18, Priest River City Clerk Laurel Thomas said.

North Fork Enterprises is expected to be on site the week of March 18 to mobilize equipment, locate utilities, survey and set up traffic control. The project is expected to be completed by mid-May.

The overall goal of the project, to reconstruct and realign the section of Wisconsin Street to line it up with Fourth Street, is safety. The project, which focuses on the portion of Wisconsin between High Street and Highway 2, also aims to improve pedestrian access with sidewalk and crosswalk improvements.

The city was awarded a grant for the project from the Local Highway Technical Assistance Council’s federal-aid rural program in 2015. Welch Comer was hired to design the project, which took place between 2019 and 2021.

While the project went out to bid in February 2023, Idaho Transportation Department officials rejected all bid. Priest River officials said the project was re-bid in October 2023 with North Fork Enterprises coming in with the low bid of $1,131,767.21.

Right of way acquisition was completed in 2021, and LHTAC is administering the grant on behalf of the city, Thomas said.

The city's share of the project is 7.34% — or $116,200 — as well as the $108,100  for waterline improvements near U.S. 2.

To date, Thomas said the city has contributed $224,300 for the project.

"We had to pay ITD upfront for our match portion, so if the project remains under budget, we could get some of it back," she said. "On the other hand, if it goes over budget, we could owe ITD additional match."