POCATELLO, ID — With the painting of final lane markers on the new roadway, construction at the I-86/I-15 “Flying-Y” System Interchange in Pocatello, Idaho, is coming to a successful conclusion. Begun in July 2022, the three-year $112 million project has dramatically changed the drivability of the interchange.
“We spent over eight years from design to actual construction of the project," Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) Project Engineer Aaron Baird said. "We’re pretty proud of it. It’s one of the bigger projects we’ve designed. It’s one of the largest projects ever designed entirely by ITD staff and inspected with ITD personnel. Most of the people on the team live here locally, and this has been a really meaningful project for us to make sure we did our very best.”
Critical areas that were improved include the northbound Pocatello Creek on-ramp, the northbound-to-westbound collector distributor, and the eastbound-to-northbound ramp. Each of those improvements made merging from one interstate to the other smoother and safer for motorists.
“We’re excited for people to use the final product," ITD Project Manager Greg Roberts said. "We hope it’s something that will last a long time and keep the traveling public safe as they use it.”
Approximately 1 million cubic yards of excavation have been completed. In addition, about 490,000 tons of base material was brought in; 116,000 tons of asphalt were placed; and over 7,700 cubic yards of concrete were poured. Nearly 70,000 square feet of retaining walls were also built throughout the project area. Finally, ITD built eight new bridges. Four of those have precast concrete girders and four have steel girders. In all, over 5 million pounds of steel has been used in the new bridges.
| Your local Superior dealer |
|---|
| Westate Machinery Co |
Construction crews worked year-round and around the clock for approximately three years to complete the project. To minimize disruption to traffic, key demolition operations were conducted at night. These efforts minimized the impact on traffic while the interchange was being reconstructed.
In addition to the major changes inside the Flying-Y design, the Chubbuck Road overpass was reconstructed as an underpass to improve site distances and vertical clearance on I-15, and to improve access to the Wellness Center from Chubbuck. The new underpass is significantly wider and includes bike lanes and sidewalks.
ITD also worked closely with the Portneuf Greenway to construct a pedestrian and bicycle path on the east side of the work site to connect the Greenway to the Wellness Center.
“Thank you for being patient with us and seeing our vision, seeing what we’re trying to do to positively impact this community,” ITD Project Manager Zak Johnson said.
| Your local Trimble Construction Division dealer |
|---|
| SITECH Northwest |
“This project has been a great success and is an important addition to the community for the safety of drivers," ITD District Engineer Todd Hubbard said. "It has been a lot of work to get all of it completed and to keep traffic moving. I want to thank everyone for their patience as we have worked on this project over the last three years. And a thank you to the project team and Sundt-Cannon Joint Venture for a project well done.”
