It’s Time For Sun, Fun And Road Work Detours And Delays Start Monday As Patching Crews Share Streets With Commuters And Tourists

It’s summer, the sun is shining, tourists are returning and detour signs are sprouting.

Soon crews will begin patching, paving, widening and reconstructing city streets and local highways. If you can’t spell alternate route, look up detour and delay.

The action starts Monday with patching on Government Way. The work starts near the new Safeway at Neider Avenue and goes north to Hanley Avenue. The patchwork is expected to last about a week.

Rain, however, may delay all of the work, said Tim Klein, city streets superintendent.

The Idaho Department of Transportation will close the Northwest Boulevard bridge that crosses Interstate 90 from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. June 17 and 18. The closure will accommodate work on the bridge deck.

Crack sealing, patching and a new coat of oil will be done on Ironwood Drive between Northwest Boulevard and Lincoln Way beginning the week of July 15. Similar work will occur simultaneously on Appleway between Julia and 4th streets.

Although that work is a month away, city officials want drivers to begin thinking about alternative routes because there will be delays and detours.

August will bring major construction on Kathleen Avenue between U.S. Highway 95 and Ramsey Road. That includes widening the street, installing curbs, sidewalks, grassy swales to handle storm water and a bike path.

A parking lot and restrooms are being constructed for the Jenny Stokes Field on the corner of Kathleen and Ramsey.

People who travel U.S. Highway 95 within the city limits will get a break from major construction and maintenance projects this season. Farther north, however, repaving will delay July traffic, from the intersection of Ohio Match Road and U.S. 95, on to Cocolalla in Bonner County.

Seven miles of U.S. 95 north of Sandpoint also is under reconstruction.

Three miles of U.S. 95 from the Worley city limits south will begin undergoing a major rework in about three weeks. And Idaho Highway 5, between Plummer and St. Maries, has both bridge and repaving projects that will delay traffic.

Idaho Highway 53, from the Rathdrum city limits to Ramsey Road, will be widened and repaved beginning mid-summer and a bike path will be added.

On Interstate 90, 5.6 miles of highway between Pine Creek and Kellogg will be repaved. That work begins in a few weeks.

, DataTimes