AMMON – Traffic delays associated with a bridge replacement project in Ammon have been an inconvenience for months and officials say the project will soon be complete.
The Sand Creek Bridge project got underway in January. It’s a state-funded project under the jurisdiction of the Local Highway Technical Assistance Council. DL Beck Inc. in Rexburg is the contractor.
Nathan Cleaver with Keller Associates in Idaho Falls is the construction, engineering and inspection manager for the project. He tells EastIdahoNews.com it’s slated for completion sometime between June 20 and July 4.
“As of last Wednesday (June 4), they were shooting for June 20 to be done,” Cleaver says. “They absolutely want to be done before the 4th of July and have it (the road) completely opened.”
The completion is contingent on the arrival of some concrete slabs, which are being installed underneath the 60-foot bridge. The original completion date was June 15, but there were delays with the shipment of the slabs.
Cleaver says there’s also a fiber optic line running across the construction area, which contractors have had to work around. That’s partially responsible for the slight delay in completion as well.
The project was supposed to get underway on January 6, but was delayed until January 20 so the city of Ammon could complete another bridge project on 1st Street and avoid having two roads closed at the same time.
The reason for the reconstruction of the bridge, according to Cleaver, is because the center piers of the bridge were founded on wooden piles. The wood was rotting, and a recent inspection report showed the north end of the bridge was starting to fail.
The bridge, which was built in 1957, conveys irrigation and flood water, which makes it a critical structure for water flow.
“If the bridge would’ve collapsed, it would’ve affected the flow of the river,” Cleaver explains. “It was at the point where it was going to be severely load-restricted and potentially closed.”
Cleaver praises the efforts of everyone involved in the project, despite the delays.
“The contractor has done a really good job, even though it sounds like they’re behind schedule,” says Cleaver. “They’ve done an exceptional job to try to get back on schedule.”
While the project is being funded by the state, Ammon city administrator Micah Austin says many people have called and mistakenly thought it was a city project.
Although he’s grateful for the work that’s been done to improve the city, he acknowledges the public’s frustration with the inconvenience of the road being blocked and traffic being rerouted. He hopes to see the road re-open as soon as possible.
“We apologize for the delay. We hope that it’s done as quickly as possible,” Austin says.
The impact on local businesses
Drivers aren’t the only ones who are frustrated with the project. Business owners in that area say the rerouting of traffic has had a negative impact on sales. Among them is Fixxology.
Somer Miller opened the soda and cookie shop last March at 2565 East 17th Street — 10 months before the construction started. She had no idea the construction project was coming at the time.
Initially, she was serving anywhere from 120-130 cars a day. The amount of traffic was cut in half during the first week of construction.
“I’ve had to really get creative on how to bring money into my shop,” Miller says.
Though January is typically a slower month without construction, Miller says the construction project has only enhanced the slowdown. The Life in Idaho Falls Facebook page has been a valuable resource for her during this time.
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She says the longterm effect of construction has resulted in a loss of momentum and excitement for the business opening in the first place.
She’s been able to scrape by the last few months by offering free deliveries to customers.
“We’re not set up to do delivery but I took it upon myself,” says Miller. “Three days a week, I was offering delivery to local businesses from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The community was supportive at first, but they wouldn’t get on a (recurring) schedule. It fizzled out as quickly as it started.”
Teachers at nearby schools were consistent customers during this time and kept Miller afloat. Now that school is out for the summer, that’s no longer happening.
She’s gotten mixed messages about when the project will be complete over the last several months. While she’s thrilled the project is coming to a close, Miller says the financial loss isn’t likely to be made up quickly when the road re-opens and she’s concerned about the ability to pay rent on the building, much less stay in operation.
While there is another Fixxology location on Sunnyside Road and in other places throughout eastern Idaho, Miller says all of them are independently-owned and she only owns the store on 17th Street.
“It’s not like I’m opening one and struggling with another. This is my only shop, my only source of income. My husband has his own job that provides for our family, but I’m a first-time business owner (and I’ve put a lot of money into this),” she says.
Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop is right next door and is likely in a similar boat. We did not get a response in time for publication.
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Idaho statute 40-2003 and 2004
requires public agencies to provide financial compensation for individuals impacted by “the acquisition of right-of-way for any project.”
Cleaver says qualifying businesses must be located “on a property contiguous with a property acquired as a result of the project.”
“There are a couple of businesses who have requested this who are being evaluated,” Cleaver says.
Miller says she’s provided financial statements and other required documentation and has never received a response.
She’s expecting to start over once the road re-opens.
“Instead of gaining that momentum (over the last several months and getting established), we just have to start over,” Miller says. “I expect it to put us back to square one.”
Farther down 17th on the opposite side of the road, Gen Miner, who co-owns Bricks & Minifigs with her husband, Arthur, says they’ve also seen a 50% decrease in sales.
“By this time last year, we were double what we’re making right now,” Gen says.
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The Miners recently celebrated the shop’s one-year anniversary. While they were pleased with the turnout, Gen says there were 25% less people at that celebration than at the grand opening, but it’s hard to say whether the construction is entirely to blame.
“It’s hard to compare apples to apples on that because we’ve never been here before,” says Gen.
Regardless, Gen says the construction is a definite detractor that causes the majority of people who normally would’ve stopped by to avoid shopping there.
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Like Miller, Gen says she’s utilized the Life in Idaho Falls Facebook page to stay afloat. She anticipates some initial struggle once the road re-opens and she’s calling on the city to host some kind of event that rebuilds momentum for businesses that were affected.
“There’s really no reason to go this direction unless they’re going this way because they want to get to us,” she says. “I would love to have a day that celebrates all the businesses that have been impacted. That’s what they (the city) should do to really get the word out that (the road) is opening back up again.”
Greater Idaho Falls Chamber CEO Paul Baker says they’re looking into doing some kind of event to support businesses in the area. He didn’t elaborate about that any further, but did offer some perspective in a written statement to EastIdahoNews.com.
“While construction can bring temporary challenges, we view the improvements on 17th Street as a long-term investment in the strength and connectivity of our local business community,” Baker writes. “We encourage residents to continue supporting local businesses during this time. They are the heartbeat of our economy.”
