Trucks carrying 150-foot bridge support beams to rumble through Boise Friday

Trucks carrying 150-foot-long bridge support beams will be driven through Boise Friday to the East ParkCenter Bridge near Warm Springs Avenue and Barber Drive, Ada County Highway District officials said.

The steel beams will be used to support the bridge. They will arrive from Grand Junction, Colo., and are expected to arrive on the north side of the bridge by 7 a.m.

Two trucks, carrying two girders each, will make the delivery. Friday will be the first scheduled day of many deliveries. There are 24 total girders, and it is expected to take two to four weeks for them all to arrive.

The longest beams are 150 feet long. They are 9 feet tall and 32 inches wide.

“The girders are long in length because they will span the entire river without having to place a pier in the river itself,” said Adam Zaragoza, ACHD project manager. “They are also long enough to accommodate the river overflow channel in the event of a 100-year flood.”

Because of the length, the trucks will be traveling on specially selected routes with pilot cars. In order to deliver the beams to the north side of the bridge, the trucks will take the Broadway Avenue exit off of Interstate 84 and head north to Warm Springs Avenue.

Major traffic impacts are not expected because of the early hour. However, the trucks will have to take the intersection of Broadway and Warm Springs slowly before heading east on Warm Springs. Also, traffic will not be allowed on Warm Springs Avenue along the Warm Springs Mesa between Windsong and Barber while the trucks travel that section. The road in that area is narrow and winding and the trucks will need both lanes.

ACHD officials said the beams will only be delivered early in the mornings on weekdays to limit traffic disruption. The north side beams will be delivered first, and when those have all arrived, the beams on the south side will be delivered. That will involve a separate route. The only noise around the construction site that will result from the deliveries is the sound of the trucks backing up.

There will be some Greenbelt closure signs on the south side of the river and extra caution is advised when in the area. Signs also will also be posted at Barber Park, informing river users that they need to avoid using the Boise River near the construction site as the girders are being put in place over the river.

The East ParkCenter Bridge has been envisioned since the 1970s and will connect ParkCenter Boulevard to Warm Springs Avenue. This will provide a new route to East Boise and the Barber Valley and divert traffic from Warm Springs. The project construction cost is just under $14 million and is scheduled for completion in the fall of 2009. It is currently on schedule.