The Broadway Bridge is the preferred route for thousands of cars each day. But commuters will have to find a different route once the bridge closes down January 4.
Starting in the New Year, thousands of people a day will have to find a new way of crossing the Boise River. The Broadway Avenue Bridge will close January 4, from Caesar Chavez Lane near Albertsons Stadium, to Myrtle Street. It will be closed for nine months as the 50-year-old bridge is replaced.
The Idaho Transportation Department will hold a public meeting Wednesday afternoon to talk about the project.
Jennifer Gonzalez is with ITD. She says the disruptions will be a big deal.
“You think of where that bridge is and you think of where people are commuting in the Treasure Valley, specifically in downtown Boise, and how they get there. We do not take this lightly,” says Gonzalez.
Drivers will be detoured onto Parkcenter Boulevard. The Greenbelt will be diverted as well.
That will affect a lot of people, says Gonzalez.
“Right now, about 26,000 people use that bridge every day in different capacities. In ten years, we’re looking at an increase of 10,000 people.”
Gonzalez says if they kept the bridge open during construction, it would take twice as long to replace it.
Take a flyover of the completed project, courtesy of the Idaho Transportation Department.
The bridge was originally built in 1892 and later replaced in 1956. Gonzalez says technically Broadway is Highway 20/26 and therefore falls under the purview of the Transportation Department, not the Ada County Highway District, which is in charge of most of Boise’s roadways.
Gonzalez says replacing the bridge will be a 24-7 operation. The $20-million dollar project is scheduled to be finished next fall.
The public meeting will held Wednesday from 4-7 p.m. at Washington Group Plaza.
Find Samantha Wright on Twitter @samwrightradio
Copyright 2015 Boise State Public Radio
