Friday, October 7, 2011

Wet and cold weather delay highway project

Contractor still able to perform milling and patching operations

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By TERRY SMITH
Express Staff Writer

ITD contractors work on state Highway 75 in the mid-valley. A change from sunny to rainy weather has delayed work this week. Photo by David N. Seelig

Wednesday's heavy rains and cooler weather brought what the Idaho Transportation Department hopes is a temporary cessation to resurfacing state Highway 75 between Hailey and Ketchum.

Nonetheless, Knife River Corporation, the Boise company contracted to repave the 10-mile stretch of highway, was able to continue milling and patching operations Wednesday in anticipation of resuming paving when warmer weather returns to the Wood River Valley.

"We'll just keep plugging away, working around the weather and the conditions they have up there," said Nathan Jerke, spokesman for ITD District 4 headquartered in Shoshone.

ITD had originally planned to have the entire repaving project completed this year, but earlier conceded that placing a micro-seal on the new surface will have to wait until 2012 for much of the stretch of highway.

In a news release issued last week, ITD stated that Knife River is not currently facing any penalties for not completing the $5.4 million project this year.

"The contractor has complied with the contract in regards to time and the number of working days," the news released stated. ITD further explained that the contract has a provision allowing Knife River to complete micro-sealing in 2012 in recognition of the possibility that the Wood River Valley might not have the "necessary temperatures following paving."

Knife River has made progress since starting the project in late August. About four miles of highway, from the East Fork Road area north to the bridge over the Big Wood River south of Elkhorn Road, have been resurfaced and micro-sealed.

The company has resurfaced about a mile of the highway from Hailey north and continues resurfacing, milling and patching north and south of the Ohio Gulch area. The portion of the highway north into Ketchum from the Big Wood River bridge south of Elkhorn Road has remained largely untouched.

Jerke said Knife River was able to continue milling, a process of removing the old highway surface, and patching in spite of the wet and cold weather on Wednesday. He said patching involves putting a thin layer of asphalt down in areas that had to be milled down to the gravel base because of thinness of the roadbed. Patched areas still require a new surface.

Some of the work going on now "looks like paving, but they're just patching," he said.

If Knife River is unable to complete resurfacing this fall, Jerke said the company will not leave milled portions of the highway in that condition until next year. Instead, he said, a temporary surface will be laid so that the highway has a smooth surface throughout the winter.

"We believe there's a very small chance that will take place," he said.

Jerke said ITD remains confident that the project, minus much of the micro-sealing, will be completed this year.

Terry Smith: tsmith@mtexpress.com

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