dbryce@journalnet.com

POCATELLO - Construction on a concrete culvert that will move 3,500 feet of Hiline Canal underground is set to start next week.

The box culvert is the first phase of an expansion that will convert Hiline Road into a five-lane thoroughfare from Flandro Drive to Chubbuck Road, said Mel Coulter, spokesman for the Idaho Transportation Department.

Coulter said the project is funded through a five-year federal program. The Statewide Transportation Improvement Program coordinated with the district office in Pocatello to develop a list of potential projects.

The Hiline expansion has been in the works for some time, Coulter said.

Although construction will start immediately, no major traffic delays or detours are expected until later this spring.

Two Interstate 86 bridges that cross Hiline will also be replaced.

Coulter said Knife River Construction will be the contractor for the $11 million job.

Construction will continue through 2009 and the Hiline extension is due to be complete by mid-2010.

An open house is scheduled Tuesday at 4 p.m. in Chubbuck City Council Chambers.

Representatives from the Idaho Department of Transportation and Knife River Construction will be on hand to answer questions and present their plan. For more information about the planned expansion, call project engineer Dan Harelson at 239-3358.