SANDPOINT, Idaho — The Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) board announced on Wednesday that it approved a $200,000 project to start studying replacement options for The Long Bridge on U.S. Highway 95 near Sandpoint.
“Up until now, we have been performing maintenance projects to delay replacing this expensive structure until it reached 100 years old,” said District Engineer Damon Allen. “But as we’ve looked to widen US-95 south of town, we’ve heard from the public that they want us to look at this sooner rather than later.”
The study is expected to start in 2025 to seek grant funding to finish the study and design the replacement, including public outreach and updating environmental evaluations.
This project will be separate from the ongoing plans to make US-95 safer and more capable of handling the increase in traffic between Sagle and Lakeshore Drive, though neither project is currently funded for construction.
The existing bridges, one for vehicles and the other for pedestrians were built in 1981 and 1956 respectively. The pedestrian bridge, which originally served vehicles, is no longer able to safely carry traffic and is severely weight-restricted.
ITD says previous studies have identified one four-lane bridge with shoulders and a separated bike and pedestrian facility as an option as a replacement for the two existing two-lane bridges.
ITD says costs and staging will be identified in later studies, but the initial estimate for building the northbound half of the proposed structure, including a bike and pedestrian facility, is at least $225 million.
“This money will allow staff to begin preliminary planning and pursue grant applications for design,” said Allen.
For more information on current Idaho road projects, visit the ITD website.
