Silver Bridge discussed heavily at open house
Photo by Josh McDonald/ The Silver Bridge over the North Fork of the Coeur d'Alene River is scheduled to be fully replaced next year. The bridge has stood in place for 94 years and can only handle the weight of a standard passenger vehicle.
KELLOGG — Residents gathered to discuss three upcoming bridge projects in Shoshone County during a recent open house, with the Silver Bridge receiving the most attention.
Shoshone County Public Works Director Jessica Stutzke fielded questions and comments about the Silver Bridge project, which crosses the North Fork of the Coeur d'Alene River and connects Old River Road with Coeur d'Alene River Road. Originally slated to begin in September, construction has been pushed back due to various issues.
Stutzke addressed concerns about the condition of Old River Road, which will serve as the detour route for accessing popular camping spots during the bridge's construction. "Even though the construction for the bridge has been pushed back, the surface improvements to Old River Road will still take place this summer. Once the improvements are complete, the road will be suitable for detour traffic," she explained.
Another topic of interest was the historic nature of the bridge and the design of its replacement. "There was also some slight disappointment that the bridge would not look exactly like the old bridge," Stutzke said. "Unfortunately, building a bridge to look exactly the same is not feasible for different reasons, such as cost and current bridge building standards."
The new bridge will be significantly wider than the current narrow structure, which only allows a single car to pass at a time. The new structure will be 22 feet wide, with a 12-foot driving lane and five-foot shoulders on each side to accommodate pedestrian and bicycle traffic, Stutzke said.
Construction on the Silver Bridge is now set to begin in August 2026. The Two Mile Bridge in Osburn and the Bunker Avenue Bridge in Kellogg, while not widely discussed at the open house, remain on schedule to start in March 2025.
The three projects, with an estimated total cost of $11.2 million, are being funded through Idaho Gov. Brad Little's Leading Idaho plan. This state-funded program aims to fix older, load-restricted bridges using $400 million in state surplus dollars.