US-2 and US-95 junction road construction still underway

THREE MILE — Construction crews at the junction of highways 95 and 2 will continue milling the existing roadway as part of the resurfacing project.

Paving has begun this week,, Heather McDaniel, public information officer, with the Idaho Department of Transportation said. Crews will work their way back towards Moyie Springs as they pave the road. 

The resurfacing project is to correct deficiencies and soft spots from U.S. 95 to the Moyie bridge.

“Work continues this week in the area near Bonners Ferry, crews are finishing up milling work near the signal and then will begin paving early this week, " McDaniel said. “As a result, drivers in the area should expect more congestion than usual as this work is completed. The good news is that congestion should improve as the crew moves further away from the junction.”

With the coming Fourth of July holiday, ITD has scheduled a break in construction from June 29 to July 7. 

“Hopefully this should make summertime travel and holiday celebrations easier for the traveling public,” McDaniel said. “There will likely be some weekend and nighttime work, especially after the 4th of July holiday.”

 Another important thing to note about the work zone, the milling crew — those who are grinding down the driving surface — are also getting ready to change locations. Starting June 18, they will start milling work at the Montana state line and begin working their way west toward the Moyie Bridge.

The port of entry station at Three Mile Junction will also be reconstructed and is expected to experience intermittent, temporary interruptions of service as the asphalt is being reconstructed at their current location. As an alternative, people may contact the Huetter Port of Entry for permits, registrations or questions at 208-769-1551. 

Once the work zone reaches the Moyie bridge, a more comprehensive restructuring process will take place, milling down through the base layer of the highway to fully reconstruct the road base and driving surface. This process — known as cement recycled asphalt based stabilization, or CRABS — is both efficient and cost effective. 

"We pulverize the existing asphalt, mix in cement to help stabilize and strengthen the mixture to use as a base, and then we pave over top of that," said ITD project manager Megan Koski.

Although the project is to resurface the road from Three Mile to the Montana line, the Moyie Bridge will not be resurfaced at this time. 

ITD has a separate project programmed for rehab of that bridge and deck, which is estimated to be down in 2028. 

The team is working hard to make sure the 511 system is up to date as possible to reflect delays and upcoming work outside of normal hours of Monday to Friday, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.