Traffic signal work to begin downtown

COEUR d'ALENE - Work will begin next week on replacement of utility boxes damaged last month due to a traffic accident at Fifth Street and Sherman Avenue. Since the accident, which caused an estimated $17,000 in damage, the signal at the intersection has not been functioning.

City Street Superintendent Tim Martin said the contractor, Classic Electric, will start work as early as Tuesday, Feb. 25. The project will result in the closure of a half-block of Fifth Street north of Sherman Avenue to the alleyway between Sherman and Lakeside Avenue as the contractor and city crews install new utility boxes and repair sidewalks.

Work will also cause disruption in service to street lights on Sherman Avenue a half-block east and west of the intersection. Downtown businesses in the immediate area will be notified of the work. Those businesses will not experience any power outages.

Martin said he expects the half-block closure of Fifth Street to only last a few days and local access for deliveries and businesses will be available. The traffic signal should be back in service within a week or so.

Work will also include minor sidewalk improvements, the first step in a two-year $400,000 sidewalk improvement program approved last month by the City Council.