PONDERAY — Drivers, bikers and pedestrians should keep an eye out for road closures in the coming weeks as work on the U.S. 95 expansion continues.

Work is progressing steadily on the expansion, which will transform two miles of U.S. 95 in Ponderay into a four-lane highway separated by a median. As Apollo Construction workers near the completion of the new lanes, certain roads, bridges and access points will be subject to intermittent closure, according to Apollo Construction officials and project spokesperson Susan Kiebert.

Bikers and pedestrians will want to avoid Popsicle Bridge until mid-June, as the area will be closed until the new southbound lanes are operational. This will allow workers to tie lanes into a new bike path in the process of being constructed.

“Right now, the Popsicle Bridge empties out into a construction zone, so it’s a real safety hazard,” Kiebert said.

The southbound byway off-ramp into Sandpoint that travels over the Sand Creek Bridge will also be closed at the end of May for two weeks. This will allow for the permanent off-ramp to be constructed and will not impact the access points near Superior Street, Kiebert said. The exact date of this closure is yet to be announced.

Late night shoppers should watch out for Kootenai Cutoff and Bonner Mall Way later this month, which will be intermittently closed for the installation of new lanes and traffic signals. However, this process will only occur at night between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. Exact dates and times will be announced soon.

All these closures will help Apollo Construction officials keep the project on a timely schedule toward its targeted autumn completion. Work continues on utility relocation, as well as grading preparations on the new southbound lane for paving later this month.

The new lanes will likely be operational by June 15. At that point, workers will divert traffic onto the new lanes while they reconstruct the old travel lanes, add special turning lanes for access through the median and install traffic signals at Kootenai Cutoff and Bonner Mall Way.

Drivers should take care to not exceed the 35 mph speed limit. In addition, a careful eye trained for construction flagging and workers should keep everyone safe until the project is done.

Individuals who want regular email updates on road and bridge closures should call Kiebert at 265-0897.