US-95: Long Bridge Repairs
Repairs to both the bridge for vehicles and the bridge for pedestrians will keep them in service longer.
No work is allowed on either structure during weekends or city events.
Vehicular bridge
Expansion joints that help the structure adjust to changing temperatures will be replaced, and supporting structures underneath will be repaired.
A special protective coating will be applied to the guardrail.
Navigation lights for boaters under the bridge will be replaced with more efficient light bulbs that need less maintenance.
Drivers aren’t expected to experience any major impacts until late July when crews will close one lane at night. These efforts are scheduled to take one month to complete.
Pedestrian bridge
Portions of the walking surface will be repaired.
The joints that connect different sections of the bridge will be replaced with ones that are flush with the surface and easier to walk over.
Navigation lights for boaters under the bridge will be replaced with more efficient light bulbs that need less maintenance.
Starting in June, walkers and bicyclists will have less space during weekdays for up to 12 weeks. No work is planned to impact the pedestrian bridge at night or on weekends.
Retaining wall
The retaining wall for the shared use path was damaged by waves in 2020. Starting in early May, repairs will start and shut down the portion of the path connecting the west side of US-95 to the pedestrian bridge on the east side. Work is expected to take about two months, and access from the west side will be completely closed the entire time.
This work will not affect the progress of repairs to the rest of the bridge and is being expedited to minimize the impact to path users.
History
The original bridge across Lake Pend Oreille was built in 1956, and it served two lanes of traffic until the new bridge replaced it in 1981.
In December 2016, ITD spent $2 million to reseal the deck of the vehicular bridge to protect it from weather and repair supporting structures.
The upcoming repairs are a result of a November 2018 study that identified maintenance items to be addressed to allow both structures to reach 100 years in service.
More repairs are expected to follow before replacement of both bridges, which at this time is not scheduled.
