I-90 projects on the horizon for Shoshone County

Roadwork throughout Shoshone County’s portion of Interstate 90 is expected to resume thanks to a mild winter.

Heather McDaniel, public information officer with the Idaho Transportation Department, said three major Silver Valley projects are set to begin in the coming weeks.

Starting on the west end of the county, crews will be completing a rehab of the bridge deck on I-90 over Pine Creek near Pinehurst. 

The multi-year project in Kellogg will wrap up this spring when the concrete overlays are completed on the eastbound side of the Division Street and Elizabeth Park overpasses. 

Both of these projects are expected to be completed roughly one month after they begin, which McDaniel expects to be in April. 

The biggest project in Shoshone County is the second year of construction on the I-90 stretch from Osburn to Wallace. 

“This project will be the most impactful of the three for traffic this year, requiring crossovers to the eastbound lanes, and intermittent on and off-ramp closures at Silverton and on the west side of Wallace,” McDaniel said. 

This project will span the duration of the season with an anticipated completion date in the fall. At the end of the season, the project limits will expand to include repaving from Big Creek to Osburn and a short section east of Wallace.

The work between Osburn and Wallace addresses two major issues. First, prevent historically dangerous water-over-road situations near Wallace anytime a good rainstorm moves through the area. The second issue was the aged nature of the surface of the highway, which requires crews to scrape more than a foot of old paving materials from the roadway. 

Once the old roadway is removed, ITD will complete the drainage system they began on the other side of the highway last year. 

The speed limit will be reduced to 55 miles per hour in all three zones while they are active.