SH 41/I-90 Interchange construction to begin in March
CAROLYN BOSTICK | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 months, 3 weeks AGO
Idaho Transportation Department is beginning reconstruction of the I-90 State Highway 41 Interchange in March.
Courtesy photo
Carolyn Bostick has worked for the Coeur d’Alene Press since June 2023. She covers Shoshone County and Coeur d'Alene. Carolyn previously worked in Utica, New York at the Observer-Dispatch for almost seven years before briefly working at The Inquirer and Mirror in Nantucket, Massachusetts. Since she moved to the Pacific Northwest from upstate New York in 2021, she's performed with the Spokane Shakespeare Society for three summers. | February 26, 2025 1:00 AM
POST FALLS — Construction on the State Highway 41 and Interstate 90 Interchange saw "good progress over the winter” due to the relatively fair conditions, said Post Falls city engineer Rob Palus.
Starting Monday, the ITD will close the I-90/SH-41 westbound off-ramp to construct the new off-ramp. The closure will continue to September.
"Coming from Coeur d’Alene to Post Falls, heading north toward Rathdrum will be the most affected by the rerouting for construction,” Palus said.
The rerouting process will incorporate a temporary on-ramp from SH 41 to I-90 which is expected to save about 23 days of construction.
Portable message boards from ITD will display detour information to help drivers navigate the detour.
Palus said ITD has managed to accomplish a lot of work with “very minimal closures.”
“There’s not many other ways to build an interchange like that without at some point closing an off-ramp,” Palus said.
To complete the project, the intersection on the north side will be dug out and then contractors will rebuild it as a full concrete intersection.
In September, ITD will be transfer traffic into the new alignment and then remove the old state Highway 41 and start to fill in the hole or depression where the bridges used to be for 41 to go underneath the freeway.
The main detour will send drivers to Seltice Way and bring them back to Highway 41 using the eastbound highway I-90 temporary signals.
“We do anticipate that most of these people will utilize this detour route,” Palus said.
Traffic is also anticipated to utilize Idaho Street and place additional burden on roadways at Mullen, Poleline and Prairie.
ITD is going to work with city staff to coordinate the signal timing at Idaho and Seltice, Idaho and Mullan, Palus said.
MORE LOCAL-NEWS STORIES
ARTICLES BY CAROLYN BOSTICK
Museum at the Brig set to reopen at Farragut State Park
Jim Stephens first came to Farragut Naval Training Base as a young man, ready to serve his part in WWII. He became a swim instructor for new recruits and learned skills and duties he would go on to perform in the military hospital for American soldiers fighting in the Pacific theater.
Railroad quiet zones nixed by Post Falls council
After looking into the creation of railroad quiet zones, City Council decided Tuesday to not pursue zones in Post Falls. Although several members of the council expressed interest, the money and effort that would be required by the city to enact the zones were deemed too costly at this time.
Post Falls council approves Prairie Trail extension
City Council unanimously approved an extension to Prairie Trail Tuesday. City engineer Rob Palus explained that there are two missing gaps in Prairie Trail from Zorros to State Highway 41.