July 20, 2009 in City

Ceremony kicks off overpass project

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Wednesday is going to be a big day in Dover, Idaho.

Dignitaries, including Idaho Gov. Butch Otter, are gathering for an event that has taken more than three decades to arrive.

At 11 a.m., they will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for a new railroad overpass bridge for U.S. Highway 2 in this small city just southwest of Sandpoint.

Idaho officials are spending part of the state’s $182 million in federal transportation stimulus money on the $21.6 million project.

“The people of Dover feel real good about it,” said state Rep. George Eskridge, R-Dover. “It’s been a real issue for our town.”

The 72-year-old bridge has been listed as one of the worst bridges in America by Popular Mechanics magazine and the History Channel. In 2007, a chunk of the bridge fell away, forcing the state to spend $500,000 for short-term repairs, on top of repairs made in 1994 and 1997.

Idaho’s transportation department first sought funding to replace the bridge in 1979, according to the governor’s office.

The 24-foot-wide bridge has height and width restrictions and no shoulders. Speed is limited to 25 mph. It essentially becomes a one-way bridge when large vehicles cross it. The bridge has a sufficiency rating of 3 on a scale of 100 and is considered a commercial bottleneck.

The new bridge will be 72 feet wide and 1,200 feet long with five lanes. It will carry traffic to the east end of Dover.

Eskridge said the design will separate highway traffic from pedestrians and vehicles in Dover, increasing traffic safety in the small town.

Sletten Construction, of Great Falls, submitted the low bid and is expected to start work within a few weeks. As many as 400 jobs will be created by the project, the governor’s office estimated. Completion is expected by fall 2011.

The groundbreaking will be adjacent to the bridge at Railroad Avenue and Mill Street with a reception prior to the ceremony at Dover City Hall.

Spokane Valley projects

•New solar-powered flashing school zone signs will be installed at Opportunity and Ponderosa elementary schools under a $15,000 grant from the Washington Traffic Safety Commission. The city of Spokane Valley is contributing $26,000 to the project.

The Opportunity signs will go up along Bowdish Road, and at Ponderosa, the signs will be on Schafer Road. Installations should be done by September.

Signs at other Spokane Valley schools have proved successful. City official said drivers are going 19 percent slower at University Elementary School and 32 percent slower at Progress Elementary School as a result of signs there.

•Repaving and other work on Sprague Avenue between University and Evergreen roads began Sunday and will be done from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sundays through Fridays for the next five weeks. Federal stimulus funds are being used for the $2.75 million job. Expect lane restrictions during work hours.

•Recently completed work at the Pines Road and Mansfield Avenue interchange with Interstate 90 will be celebrated with a grand opening event at the northeast corner of Pines and Mansfield at 6 a.m. on July 28.

The new $6 million configuration is going to smooth traffic flow through the area, and signal arrays have been timed to accommodate the redesigned traffic pattern.

Street closure

Market Street from Garland to Francis avenues in Spokane closes today for start of reconstruction of the arterial route and improvements to the sidewalk area in the Hillyard business district. The $5.6 million project is being funded with a voter-approved bond issue and state money for curbside enhancements.

ID changes in Idaho

Starting this month, Idaho is getting more particular about the types of identification it will accept for people registering and obtaining titles for motor vehicles.

A driver’s license is sufficient in most cases, but anyone without a license must submit some other form of government identification, such as a passport, Social Security card or birth certificate.

Idaho is attempting to create a “one person, one record” system in which various types of records are maintained under a single file for each individual.

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