More construction, closures on Idaho 16 near Boise. This round will be ‘noisy’
The latest round of construction and closures are coming to the Idaho 16 extension that’s underway near Boise. And they’re expected to be noisy.
The new elevated freeway is the Treasure Valley’s first in more than 40 years and has come with a slew of closures and other traffic headaches as work continues on the $475 million project. Now, construction of two new interchanges is prompting drivers to adjust their routes.
Starting Friday evening, Nov. 7, crews with the Idaho Transportation Department will close Idaho 16 completely between Idaho 44, also known as State Street, and U.S. 20/26, also known as Chinden Boulevard, for drainage work, according to a news release from the department. The roughly 2-mile section, which crosses over the Boise River in Star, will remain closed until early Monday morning, Nov. 10.
Drivers accustomed to taking the freeway to zip north and south through the Treasure Valley will have to follow detours to Star and Linder roads.
The work will involve installing a drainage structure, called a box culvert, underneath the highway, as part of plans to build an interchange at Idaho 16 and State, according to the release. It’ll be 495 feet long — longer than a football field — and putting it underground will be “very NOISY,” says an ITD project page.
Work on the new interchange, which is anticipated to cost $55 million, has already created traffic headaches for drivers traveling east and west along State near Idaho 16 intersection.
“This is a challenging work zone, and we are actively looking at ways to improve traffic flow through the area,” said Styles Salek, an ITD design and construction engineer, in an ITD news release announcing lane closures on State as part of the interchange work in September.
The interchange and the full Idaho 16 corridor between State and the Interstate are expected to open in 2027.
Franklin Road interchange work also prompts closures
Beginning Saturday evening, Nov. 8, closures will continue further south on the freeway near the Meridian-Nampa border.
ITD plans to close Franklin Road from Star to McDermott roads at night through November so crews can work on the new interchange at Franklin and Idaho 16, according to a release from the department.
The closures will take place from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. Drivers traveling east and west on Franklin will have to detour north to Cherry Lane to bypass the construction zone.
Work is expected to continue through the fall and winter, and more closures could come.
Once compete, the interchange is expected to be able to handle more traffic and allow for fewer delays in travel between Franklin, Idaho 16, and the Interstate, according to a video by ITD. That’ll be by 2027, ITD anticipates.
This story was originally published November 4, 2025 at 9:29 AM.
