Beck Road to open today

POST FALLS - Beck Road at Seltice Way near the state line will re-open today after being closed more than two months due to widening and realignment.

"We're about three weeks behind," said Kelly Brownsberger, Post Falls Highway District's road supervisor, adding that rain delayed the project.

"But everyone worked well together to make sure the job came together."

The $1.1 million project straightened out the two 'S' curves on the road on the north side of Seltice Way near Stateline Speedway. It also widened Beck from two lanes to four in that area.

The realignment of Beck moved the Union Pacific rail crossing 220 feet to the east.

Local officials will hold a short ceremony at 7:30 a.m. today, recognizing the finish of the project and opening the road to traffic.

The highway district funded most of the project. The Idaho Transportation Department State Railroad Crossing Protection Account funded $355,000 worth of improvements at the railroad crossing.

Traffic headed to businesses along Beck was detoured onto the Rathdrum Prairie during construction.

"We put in 60,000 tons of fill to take out the 'S' curves, so there's now a nice, gentle downgrade to Beck Road and it's a straighter shot at the railroad crossing," Brownsberger said.

The project has been in the works since 1998.

Beck Road will be a major future arterial, coming off a future Interstate 90 interchange that will serve the Pointe at Post Falls project anchored by Cabela's.

The interchange project and that of the highway district's are separate.

Foursquare Properties, the Pointe's developer, is responsible for the interchange project working with the Federal Highway Administration for approval. Construction may start within the next year.