MERIDIAN, Idaho — Neighbors in west Boise and south Meridian should plan ahead for the next month as Cloverdale Road is now closed between Overland and Victory roads.
The Ada County Highway District closed the stretch to allow crews to remove two small bridges over the Ridenbaugh Canal, fill in the former canal channel below the road, and then rebuild that section of Cloverdale Road.
Marisa Keith, president of the Southwest Ada County Alliance, said the closure is already creating ripple effects for daily commuters.
WATCH | Cloverdale Road closes for bridge removal over Ridenbaugh Canal
"I go down Cloverdale, but now with this road closed it pushes all traffic coming onto 5 Mile or Eagle Road and those roads are already congested so it just creates more backup," Keith said.
ACHD Manager of Safety Engineering Matt Degen said the existing guardrails on the bridges pose a safety concern.
"They're pretty close to the driver lane. When there was an active canal under that, those provided a major safety benefit to residents, or for vehicles traveling. Now that there's no longer any water there active, it's not necessary and it's a safety benefit to remove those and get the bridges out of there now," Degen said.
Detour routes will direct drivers to Five Mile Road while work is underway. Residents who live closest to the closure will still be able to access their homes.
"That's the really good thing that worked out with this project is there are no houses that are directly impacted by the closure. Everyone can get home," Degen said.
Keith is asking anyone cutting through residential neighborhoods during the closure to be considerate.
"If you're taking a short cut through one of these residential neighborhoods, follow the speed limit, go slow, and watch out for pets and dogs and kids and other people that are using the roads," Keith said.
ACHD hopes to reopen Cloverdale Road in late July.
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been, in part, converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
