ITD to do blasting along I-84 from port of entry to Mayfield

BOISE - Improving safety does not always mean widening a roadway, adjusting the speed limit or installing a traffic signal. Along a critical highway corridor on Interstate 84 east of Boise, Idaho Transportation Department crews will take other measures to safeguard drivers.

The five-mile stretch of I-84 between the East Boise Port of Entry and the Mayfield exit/Stage Stop (Exit 71) is home to many basalt rock outcroppings in the median that contribute significantly to run-off-the-road crashes. In the last five years, there have been 95 crashes in that stretch of highway, involving 245 people.

Starting late this week, contractors' crews will use explosives to loosen rock in those outcroppings. Once the roadway is reconstructed (see below) the rock will be used to fill areas next to the eastbound median to create 30-foot-wide 'clear zones' so eastbound run-off-the-road vehicles will not hit obstructions in the median.

Crews started setting up traffic control today (Wednesday, July 24) for the blasting. Several days of drilling to place explosives starts tomorrow, with approximately 80 holes to be drilled. An Erosion and Sediment Control Plan and blasting plan were required to ensure adherence to safety guidelines.

Blasting shots can take place once holes are drilled, explosives loaded and connected, equipment moved, and the "rolling" traffic closures in effect to move traffic far enough away.