Get ready for months of construction on Highway 20 — what you need to know
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REXBURG – Your commute through Madison County is about to get more interesting. Construction to upgrade the Thornton Interchange is set to begin March 21 and will last through October.
The Idaho Transportation Department is building an overpass about 3.5 miles south of Rexburg along U.S. Highway 20, according to a department news release. The construction will cause significant changes to the flow of traffic on the highway.
The dangerous interchange is being upgraded after being the site of numerous crashes, injuries and deaths. ITD believes that much of the trouble is caused by adjoining roads being at the same level — or at-grade — to the neighboring highway. There were three deaths in 2015, and between 1997 through 2014, ITD reported the interchange experienced 80 crashes, involving 131 vehicles and 217 people. Of those people, 144 were hurt.
During construction, some 34 miles of highway between Idaho Falls and Sugar City will become a full-access controlled divided highway. The completion of this project will be the last step in ITD’s plan to build overpasses at the perpendicular intersections between the two cities. The total cost of the new interchange, Exit 328, will be close to $20 million, according to the release.
ITD officials said eliminating the intersections and investing in the overpass will improve road safety overall.
To assist commuters an interactive story map has been created by local and state agencies to inform drivers of access points, safety precautions and alternative routes during construction.
Increased traffic can be expected because of limited or eliminated access to Highway 20. The speed limit will be reduced to 35 mph in work zones. Also watch for lane changes and construction crews.
Daily commute updates can be found here by zooming to Madison County.
Road closures
When construction begins, access to U.S. 20 at 4985 South and at 6800 South (the Thornton intersection and River Bridge Road) north of the Snake River will be closed.
Crews will also close the median at 3800 South (also known as Burton Road), which will restrict left turns at this intersection. Once the project is completed, crews will close all access to this road.
4300 West (Bear World Drive) will be open during the project but will permanently close when construction is completed in October, ITD officials said in a news release.
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