Driver calls Eagle Road potholes ‘horrifying.’ This is what ITD says is happening
If you’ve driven in the northbound right lane on Eagle Road between Fairview Avenue and Chinden Boulevard, you’ve likely bumped around on blocks of potholes.
Eric Wallace, an Eagle resident, begrudgingly drove north from Fairview one day recently and was surprised when he hit potholes and ruts for block after block.
“It was startling, horrifying, and then it was annoying,” Wallace said. “I had to have an extra level of concentration. Here was a pothole, then a ridge. It is like coming down a ski slope and avoiding obstacles. It shouldn’t be like that.”
Eagle Road commuters have been hitting potholes like this since January or February, said Jake Melder, spokesman for ITD. But good news is coming to Eagle Road commuters: ITD has been patching up the potholes gradually throughout the spring and plans to start a re-paving project this summer.
The deteriorating pavement is caused by delamination, the separation of old pavement layers, according to the ITD website. Water has infiltrated the pavement, and because of the water pressure and freezing from cold snaps, the surface of the pavement has opened up, creating potholes.
The winter is “a pretty typical time for potholes to form, as we have freezing and thawing as well as water seeping into the roadway,” Melder said.
The department began short term repairs this spring, filling in the potholes, Melder said. It will continue filling in holes throughout the spring and summer, he said.
The department recently sought bids from contractors for the repaving project, Melder said. The plan is to strip off the existing upper layer of asphalt to remove cracks and potholes, then apply a new layer of asphalt.
The project will not repave entire lanes. The repaving would cover 4- to 12-foot-wide portions of travel lanes. The spot repairs will be done from Interstate 84 to Idaho 44.
Eagle Road handles 40,000 to 50,000 trips per day, according to the Idaho Transportation Department road usage map. ITD last resurfaced it in late 2015, Melder said.
“The anticipated start for that work is early to mid-June and to take up to four weeks,” Melder said. “It will be done during the evening when traffic is lowest.”
For Wallace, the repairs couldn’t come soon enough. When driving on the road, he said he had to swerve around the potholes, a dangerous maneuver on Eagle Road, where it is consistently busy.
ITD is working on repaving projects throughout Canyon and Ada counties this summer. Major projects include:
I-84, Eisenman Interchange to Broadway Interchange and ramps at Blacks Creek Interchange; and Idaho 21 from I-84 to Technology Way.
I-84, Sand Hallow Interchange to Sebree Canal in Caldwell.
U.S. Highway 95, I-84 to Gayway Junction in Fruitland.
