BOISE, Idaho (KBOI) — BOISE, Idaho (KBOI) -- On the first Monday of the New Year, the Idaho Transportation Department closed down Boise's Broadway Bridge.
"The Broadway Bridge was built in 1956 and no longer meets today's standards," ITD Spokeswoman, Jennifer Gonzalez said. "This new bridge will include 3 new lanes in each direction, full bike lanes, and side walks."
The Broadway Bridge is a landmark that's on the National List of Historic Places, so before any heavy demolition could begin road managers first had to remove the bridge's historic cornerstone. It's an important piece of history, Director of the Arts and History Department Terri Schorzman said, will later be used to make a historic site in Julia Davis Park.
"We're going to do a report and a series of interpretive signs on either side of the bridge and on the Greenbelt," Schorzman said.
The project is expected to take months to complete.
"Demolition will take about 20 days and after that there will be improvements eventually extending all the way down to Front Street," Gonzalez said.
Although it's still early in the project, road managers believe the construction of the new Broadway Bridge will not impact floaters this summer.
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