Chinden Closures Start Tonight

Springtime in the state of Idaho means the return of our dear friends, the orange cones. Is there ever a time when those little orange monsters do not surround us? The longer days in Idaho mean longer commutes, plus a return to chip sealing season. ( More on that one in a minute.) First, a significant announcement if you live in West Ada near Chinden Boulevard and Linder Road.

The IdahoTransportation Department will begin road construction that will close several eastbound lanes on Chinden. The closure will begin tonight at the Linder intersection and stay closed until construction on this segment ends later this summer, ITD reveals in a press release.

That is a long time for that intersection to be limited to the westbound lanes. That intersection has begun to rival the fabled Eagle Road due to the continued building of homes and businesses. A new Winco is quickly being constructed, and the Fred Myer has been there for years, along with two car washes and several restaurants and shops.

If you have to drive that way, be prepared for delays going eastbound. ITD will have flaggers on-site to assist you. They will reduce traffic to one lane for the left-turns lane and one that will allow you to go straight or take a right.

ITD will be installing new traffic signals to handle the increasing traffic at that intersection.

This setup will be with us until the summer. At that time, Chinden will open to four lanes, two in each direction, with a center median between Linder and Meridian Road.

If you're new to the area, you'll want to read up on-chip sealing. ACHD reports they're about to begin that process soon. Click the link here for details.