Summer means road repair in Rupert from February 2017 floods

Teya Vitu//May 10, 2018

Utility work is preceding extensive road repairs in Rupert in the coming months. Photo by Teya Vitu.

Dozens of residential streets in Rupert will be rebuilt or repaved this summer as the city wrestles with extensive flood damage from February 2017 and a road maintenance backlog of a dozen or more years.

“This road construction season will be the largest in Rupert’s history,” said Roger Davis, Rupert’s public works director.

Dozens of Rupert streets will be rebuilt or repaved (red lines). Image courtesy of city of Rupert.

The worst damaged streets will be reconstructed to the subsurface and lesser damaged streets will be repaved. Repairs add up to nearly 16 lane miles, he said.

The $1.465 million project is funded with a combination of state emergency relief funds and general obligation bonds, he said.

Rupert had three flood episodes in December 2016, March 2017 and the worst between Feb. 5 and Feb. 27, 2017, that was declared a federal disaster area.

February 2017 flooding damaged numerous Rupert streets. Photo courtesy of city of Rupert.

The worst damage occurred in the Sheridan Heights and Neptune Park areas. Several other streets across the city were damaged by the flood or minimal maintenance for more than decade, including sets of streets between Rupert Square and Lincoln Park.

The February 2017 flood covered some streets with 18 to 20 inches of water. They became more damaged with truck or bus traffic, Davis said.

The city started utility work under a couple streets in February with the road construction slated for mid-May to August 1. Idaho Materials & Construction of Nampa is the general contractor.