The project will widen a two-lane section of U.S. 95 between Wyoming Avenue and the Idaho 53 junction to connect with four-lane segments on both ends. Widening the highway will create four continuous lanes from Coeur d’Alene to north of Garwood. A traffic signal at Lancaster Avenue also will be constructed, improving safety at the intersection.

The project is funded with savings from federal highway stimulus projects bid earlier this year. Construction will begin in the spring 2010 and be completed in the fall.

The segment of U.S. 95 is one of seven additional shovel-ready highway projects that were approved by the Idaho Transportation Board at its August meeting. More than $50 million in bid savings were realized on the first eight highway stimulus projects, advertised earlier this year.

The two-mile-long project includes significant safety improvements to U.S. 95, according to transportation board member Jim Coleman, who represents Idaho’s five northern counties.

The project is estimated to create or sustain 108 jobs.

Eight contractors bid on the project, which was initially estimated to cost almost $16 million. The low bid by Interstate Concrete and Asphalt was $5.9 million. Competition among bidders and stable prices for construction materials are credited for the low bids.

People/Firms

Edge Construction Supply has opened its newest branch in Idaho Falls. The office is the eighth branch opened by Edge in the Intermountain West, including its headquarters in Spokane. The other locations are: Billings; Boise; Eugene; Gillette, Wyo.; Medford, Ore.; and Yakima.

Edge is a construction supply company serving all types of contractors, featuring a large inventory to service the contractors in each area. Rocky Deschamps, who has been in the industrial and construction business for the past 35 years, will oversee the new Idaho Falls office.

Boise-based CSHQA is one of 10 recently selected by the state of Idaho’s Office of Energy Resources to provide Energy Audit Reports for approximately 100 Idaho K-12 classroom buildings throughout southwestern Idaho.

CSHQA will also perform an analysis of collected pre-audit and post-audit energy use information for all of the approximately 703 school buildings throughout the state. Included in this work is consultation with OER on potential candidate school buildings for retrofitting. After retrofits are complete, CSHQA will perform a post-project review to document post-retrofit energy use of each building. OER is committed to reducing energy bills statewide, and will be utilizing funds received through the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act.