The Cloverdale Bridge has been closed since a fatal crash on I-84 in June.
The Idaho Transportation Department is working to replace the bridge with support from A.C.H.D. The accident caused extensive damage to the bridge, which was built back in the 1960s. Officials say it will not be a quick fix, but, when the project is done, everyone will see a significant difference in how you travel over the interstate.
That is welcome news to parents, teachers and students at Spalding Elementary.
"This is a major roadway," said I.T.D. spokesman, Jake Melder. "One of the few that go over the interstate. For local traffic, it is an important connection."
The closure of the Cloverdale Bridge has affected hundreds of commuters in Southwest Boise, but it has also had an impact on the students at Spalding. Their parents must now take them all the way around Eagle Road to get the students to school on time.
"For us, it was a change in communication," said Jamie Dobson, the principal of Spalding Elementary. "To make sure we communicated quickly with our families before the school year started so they would have to look at different routes to get to school."
It is clear that replacing this bridge is urgent, so agencies are working together to make sure that happens.
"Our goal for I.T.D. and A.C.H.D. is to have this design completed by the first of October, which is a very accelerated timeframe for a project such as this," Melder said. "We're going to be expanding it to be more than double. Right now it only has one lane in each direction. The next generation will have two as well as a very wide path on both sides for pedestrians and bikers to travel."
