Local Briefs November 11, 2010

Traffic switches on U.S. 95 project

COEUR d'ALENE - Traffic on U.S. 95, from Wyoming Avenue to Idaho 53, has been switched to the new two-lane southbound alignment, the Idaho Transportation Department announced.

The highway is now a four-lane divided highway from Interstate 90 to Ohio Match Road.

A new local road on the west side of the highway, from Bentz Road to Lancaster Road, also has opened to traffic. The new road, called Warren Street, provides access to Tobler Marina, Gargoyle Granite, Little Tree Storage, Curwen's Body & Paint and Joe's Sandblasting. Access onto U.S. 95 from Bentz Road has been permanently closed.

Lancaster Road and Boekel Road are fully opened to traffic. A traffic signal at Lancaster will be constructed next spring.

The highway and new local access road also will receive an additional layer of pavement next year, which will complete the project.

The speed limit on this section of U.S. 95 is 55 miles per hour.

The contractor for this $6 million project is Interstate Concrete and Asphalt, of Coeur d'Alene. The project is funded with savings from federal highway stimulus projects bid earlier this year.

Slow falling delays Cd'A leaf pickup

COEUR d'ALENE - Mother Nature didn't oblige, so the schedule had to be shuffled.

The city of Coeur d'Alene's leaf pick up program will begin again Monday, a week later than expected because those pesky leaves stayed in the trees in the southern section of town.

The pick up program has been under way in the north, east and outlying areas, but will start up after the weekend south of town, before working back up north. They'll be picking up through Thanksgiving.

So if your leaves haven't been picked up, don't worry. Rakers still have time to push leaves out into the street a few feet from the curb.

When all is said and done, the city expects to collect 1,500 tons of leaves.

NIC offers fall jazz concert tonight

The North Idaho College Jazz Ensemble will team up with the vocal group Jazz Co. to present "El Mundo de Jazz," a musical thank you to veterans today, Veterans Day.

The concert will begin at 7:30 tonight in NIC's Boswell Hall Schuler Performing Arts Center. The performance is free and open to the public.

Information: 769-3276