Traffic on Idaho highway 55 will be shifted at the Gold Fork River starting Monday, July 11, for a bridge replacement project, according to the Idaho Transportation Department.
Construction is gearing up to replace the Gold Fork River Bridge, south of Donnelly.
On Monday, ITD crews will shift traffic to a temporary bridge located just west of the existing Gold Fork river crossing, said Idaho Transportation Department spokeswoman Jennifer Gonzalez.
“Drivers will use the temporary bridge through early fall. The posted speed limit at the Gold Fork Bridge work zone is 55 mph,” she stated.
“Moving traffic onto the temporary bridge will allow crews to build the new Gold Fork Bridge without disrupting traffic flow on Idaho 55,” said ITD District 3 Resident Engineer Bryon Breen. “This approach is safer because it provides more space in the work zone and keeps traffic out of the active construction area.”
Once traffic is shifted, crews will begin to remove the existing bridge over the Gold Fork River. Test pile driving will occur late next week, and construction of the foundation for the new bridge will begin in late July.
“Next week, a crane will be delivered to the work zone. Idaho 55 will be closed between Round Valley and Smith’s Ferry for approximately twenty minutes on Tuesday morning July 12, while the 131-foot crane is brought in,” Gonzalez explained.
The Idaho 55 Gold Fork Bridge is being rebuilt because the structure is 65 years old and has outlived its design life, officials said. The project includes widening the bridge to include two 12-foot travel lanes (one in each direction) and ten-foot shoulders on each side. The roadway approaches on each side of the bridge will also be repaved.
Construction will be complete this fall.
Concrete Placing Company, Inc. is the contractor for the $3.2 million project.
