A nearly three-mile highway resurfacing project is moving forward on State Highway 54 in northern Idaho, adding pavement improvements to a corridor serving traffic between Farragut State Park and Bayview. Construction is scheduled to begin Sept. 21 and continue through late October.
The project covers the section of SH-54 between the traffic circle and the top of the hill above Bayview. Crews will repave the roadway to improve pavement condition and durability.
Construction is generally scheduled from 6 a.m. until dusk, Monday through Friday. Saturday work may also be required depending on paving operations and equipment availability.
Traffic will remain open through most of the work. Drivers should expect reduced speeds, lane reductions and changing traffic patterns as crews move through the project area.
The traffic circle is expected to close for several days, likely in early October. During the closure, traffic will be detoured from SH-54 to E. Howard Road, followed by Perimeter Road and Bayview Road.
The temporary closure follows a separate project completed earlier in July at Farragut State Park. That work included construction of a pedestrian underpass beneath SH-54 at Brig Road and required a full highway closure through the park from February into mid-summer.
The resurfacing project was not included in the original construction program. Funding was approved by the Idaho Transportation Department Board earlier this year after public feedback identified the need for pavement work. Design and bidding activities followed the funding decision.
The repaving work is expected to continue through late October. Most construction activity will take place during daylight hours, with traffic maintained through the work zone except during the planned traffic-circle closure.
Transportation officials are directing motorists to monitor roadside message boards and the Idaho 511 system for current traffic conditions and project updates.
The SH-54 project adds nearly three miles of pavement rehabilitation to a highway corridor connecting Farragut State Park and Bayview. The work follows a major construction project at the Brig Road intersection and is intended to improve the roadway before winter conditions.
For transportation owners and contractors, the project also illustrates how supplemental funding and public feedback can lead to additional pavement work outside an originally planned construction program.
Source: Idaho ITD.
