Eastland Drive North, Falls Avenue East Reopens in Twin Falls

TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KLIX) – Eastland Drive North and Falls Avenue East reopened Tuesday afternoon, after construction crews finished the intersection project several weeks ahead of schedule.

The roads reopened at 3 p.m. today, Sept. 3, Twin Falls Engineer Josh Baird told News Radio 1310.

The purpose of the closure, which happened in early August, was to reconstruct the intersection. Baird said the closure allowed workers to complete the project in a safer environment and get the job done more quickly.

"Quickly" is what happened: the project, which should cost around $950,000, he said, was originally slated for completion by Oct. 31, but when the contractor requested the road closure a new date was proposed for Eastland Drive: Sept. 30.

“The City Council approved the closure, four weeks for Eastland Drive North and eight weeks for Falls Avenue East,” Baird explained. “Last week, the contractor was significantly ahead of schedule so the team opted to hold off opening Eastland until the entire intersection could reopened at all once.”

Baird said that about 25,000 vehicles use the intersection per day, on average. Motorists used alternate routes during the closure, sometimes crowding the roads.

“The city of Twin Falls would like to thank the contractor, PMF Inc., and the entire construction team for their diligence on this project,” Baird said. “The city would also like to thank residents who patiently adjusted their commutes to avoid construction project.”