I-90 paving begins Friday in Coeur d'Alene

COEUR d’ALENE — As part of expansion work on the Interstate 90 corridor through Coeur d’Alene, paving is scheduled to begin early Friday and continue through mid-next week. 

Drivers should expect significant congestion over the next several days as traffic is reduced to a single lane in each direction on I-90 between Northwest Boulevard and U.S. 95.

These lane reductions will remain in place 24 hours a day until late Wednesday, according to an Idaho Transportation Department press release.

Paving now will let crews finish most I-90 work east of Northwest Boulevard this year.

Westbound I-90 in Coeur d’Alene will remain reduced to a single lane, as it is now, while crews complete additional widening where the Northwest Boulevard on-ramp connects to the interstate. The release said crews expect to reopen both westbound lanes by early November.

The westbound off-ramp at Northwest Boulevard will remain closed until both I-90 westbound lanes fully reopen, to reduce merging and lane changes through an already challenging work zone.

Further west, both westbound lanes near Huetter Road to Highway 41 will shift to the south side of the interstate next week and remain there for a full year so construction of the expanded lanes between Coeur d’Alene and Post Falls can begin.

Beginning Oct. 26, Huetter Road will close beneath I-90 while crews demolish the existing I-90 westbound bridge so they can rebuild it next spring to accommodate additional lanes. 

Once Huetter reopens Nov. 1, Atlas Road will close for up to two weeks while crews demolish a similar bridge.