What started as a road upgrade on Eastland Drive in Twin Falls has now changed to include an irrigation system upgrade on Eastland Drive between Addison and Falls. Desires were expressed to upgrade the irrigation system since road work would already be happening.
Eastland Drive is largely comprised of five lanes, but there is a stretch of road that shortens to a four-lane system. This four-lane strip of road is the main route for many truck drivers for the Amalgamated Sugar Company located near Eastland. The road work on Eastland has caused truck drivers to reevaluate their route to the factory which often means taking detours.
According to Jesse Schuerman, staff Engineer for the City of Twin Falls, “[Irrigation work] started early December, and we’ll be done by early March. The road project, it’s going to start hopefully in April.”
An 8.4 million dollar grant was secured for the project of upgrading the road on Eastland, but the irrigation work isn’t covered by this grant.
While the irrigation system work is being conducted, traffic in parts of Eastland has been shortened to only one or two lanes, with detours through some parts of the roads as well. The lane upgrade plans to reduce congestion and traffic along Eastland as well as freshen up the existing road. In addition, there are incomplete or disoriented sidewalks along this section of the road that this project plans to update and fix.
Eastland Drive will be under construction for the coming months as this project progresses. “It’s supposed to be done within a year,” said Schuerman, “but when you’re dealing with a project of this magnitude, it sometimes takes two years.”
It is expected to see increased traffic flow once the irrigation and road work is completed, in addition to a higher quality irrigation system near Eastland.
Work on an irrigation system requires time and effective management in order to be conducted smoothly. Safety is important, as well as the guarantee of correct work being conducted. For example, under a busy road like Eastland, there are many different pipes and cables, and the engineers and construction workers need to understand what they are working with, which could lead to additional problems if not handled correctly.
