CALDWELL, Idaho — The U.S. 20/26 bridge at the Parma Interchange in Canyon County has been closed for over a month after a truck hauling equipment crashed into it on Aug. 4, and there is no timeline for when it will reopen.
Businesses in the area have rerouted trucks and have experienced shipping delays. For Canyon Springs RV Park, visible from the interstate, the concern centers on emergency response.
Cheyenne Hadley, who works for Canyon Springs RV Park, said park management is worried about a medical emergency happening with restricted access to the interstate. She said detours during rush hour also confuse residents and back up on and off-ramps with large RVs.
"It's more than just an inconvenience. In emergencies, every second matters, and it's severely impacted that," Hadley said. "Especially with our residents being mostly seniors and older folks it is extremely worrisome... The Middleton exit is now extremely backed up, and people are having to leave extremely early, coming in extremely late."
According to the Caldwell Fire Department, some stations will be impacted by the closure and will have to go around, but Station 18, which is close to the RV park, should not see an impact.
Testing the detour at 1 p.m. with no traffic, taking Exit 25 to get back onto the highway west of the freeway added a little over three minutes. Neighbors say rush hour is a different story.
The crash compromised the entire structural integrity of the bridge, according to Jill Youmans with the Idaho Transportation Department.
ITD has no timeline for replacement , the project first has to go out to bid.
John Tomlinson, communications manager for ITD, said the agency hopes to have the project out for bid in early 2027.
"We hope to have it out for bid in winter, so upcoming 2027, early 2027," Tomlinson said.
Anyone who wants to get to the west side of I-84 in Caldwell, Notus and Parma should plan ahead and take Exit 25 or Exit 27.
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