ITD is revamping several sections of I-15
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IDAHO FALLS – Idaho Transportation Department is working to improve and make changes to multiple interchanges along Interstate 15, and they’re inviting you to weigh in during two separate meetings this week.
On Wednesday, ITD and Shoshone-Bannock Tribes is hosting an open house for the final design of the new I-15, Fort Hall Interchange (Exit 80).
The new interchange will include two lanes in each direction with a center turn lane on the bridge over I-15. There will be longer and wider interchange ramps for increased safety and mobility and a 10 foot wide sidewalk for safer pedestrian and bicycle crossing. Other plans for the interchange include new bridges over Ross Fork Creek and the Town Lateral Canal, lighting and landscaping features, improved ramp configuration to accommodate large trucks, and improved irrigation culverts and cattle guards.
Aesthetic elements honoring the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes will be added as well.
Construction is expected to begin in 2022.
The open house will take place at the Shoshone-Bannock Casino Hotel May 15 from 4 to 6 p.m. Members of the community members are invited to stop by at their convenience to learn about the project, visit with project staff, and review final design plans. The open house will include maps and visualizations of the final design.
“Over the past year, ITD has been working together with the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes, the local community and the public to ensure the new design will serve the area for many years,” ITD Project Manager Tara Capson said in a news release. “We received an outstanding level of involvement from the community and have incorporated feedback into the final design plans.”
The Shoshone-Bannock Casino Hotel is located at 777 Bannock Trail in Fort Hall. For more information about the Fort Hall Replacement Interchange Project, click here.
Then on Thursday, ITD, Bonneville County and the city of Idaho Falls is asking for your input on a study to improve the road connections on Interstate 15 and U.S. Highway 20.
The study includes examining six different interchanges along I-15 and US-20, which include Broadway, Grandview Drive, Lindsay Boulevard, Riverside Drive/City Center, Science Center Drive, and Lewisville Highway. Potential express routes to the north and west of Idaho Falls are part of the study as well.
The meeting is an opportunity for the public to review the concept alternatives, ask questions and provide comments with the project team.
Those who attend the public meeting will get a guided tour of display materials, followed by an open house at the end of the tour.
The meeting will be held at the Shilo Inn Convention Center at 780 Lindsay Boulevard. ITD is hosting two different sessions of the meeting to help provide more flexibility for you to attend. The first session will happen from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. The second from 6 to 8 p.m.
If you’re unable to attend either of the sessions on Thursday, an online version of the open house will be available on ITD’s website until May 31.