Big construction project at I-90 and Highway 41 interchange starts Monday

July 28, 2022 6:59 PM

Vanessa Perez,

Posted: July 28, 2022 6:59 PM

Updated: July 28, 2022 9:42 PM

by Vanessa Perez

POST FALLS, ID.— A stretch of Post Falls will get a brand-new look over the next couple of years.

Construction is set to begin at the interchange at I-90 and Highway 41 on Monday. The Idaho Department of Transportation wants to try and make it safer for drivers in the area.

The area has seen some serious crashes and deaths. At the same time, the area is in need to keep up with the growth North Idaho is seeing, as there are more drivers than ever before.

People who live in Post Falls say it used to be easy to get around. But those days are long gone.

“They’re promoting nationwide,” Jay Paycino, a Post Falls native, said. “This is the best place in the Northwest to move to, and they’re just coming in by the hundreds and thousands. They haven’t done anything with the roads yet. The roads are overcrowded.”

Monday will mark a new era for drivers, as IDT will add a single-point urban interchange where traffic will be controlled by one signal in the center.

The interchange will shift north.

“Businesses are, of course, not looking forward to construction,” Megan Jahns, PIO of the Idaho Department of Transportation said. “No one does, but everyone agrees it’s needed they know it’s just going to be just what it is, and we’re going to get through it.”

Highway 41 will be relocated to cross under I-90 West of the current crossing location.

They will also be making major changes for pedestrians in the area.

You will still be able to drive both ways on I-90 during construction, but the speed limit will drop to 55 miles per hour.

If you are driving through a light, you could see some lane restrictions.

“I think that’ll be a big improvement for down here,” Paycino said. “It’s going to be a mess for traffic and construction and rocks. I caught a big rock blew my tire out. I got one in my winshield. That part’s not cool.”

Paycino also thinks there can be improvements to other roads in North Idaho.

“[On] the other end, I don’t know what they’re going to do,” Paycino said. “I don’t know how they’re going to accommodate Rathdrum when they all get into town because now you have twice the land, twice as many cars.”

The project is expected to be done in 2025.