Too late now, but how much would a tunnel cost in lieu of the Sand Creek Byway

Just wondering how much a tunnel would have cost in lieu of the Sand Creek Byway. By no means is this scientific. Using the New Zealand Manapouri Second Tailrace Tunnel bid published by the Colorado School of Mines figure of $132,000,000 in 1998 dollars for the 10 km tunnel, I came up with the math. That would be $174,000,000 in 2009 dollars. The rock was old, about 13 million years. Our mountains are also old and have a similar geologic nature. Our byway is 2.1 miles. Let's see, one mile is about 1.6 kilometers. So, 3.38 x $17,400,000 per mile cost = $58,000,000. The bid price at the start of the byway construction was $98,000,000. The Manapouri Tunnel took 18 months to complete. Our byway won't be finished until 2012 and began in 2008. Certainly there would be additional costs for the entrance and exits, and the Manapouri Tunnel was made for water transfer, not as a road. Also, it is likely there would have been the need for either two tunnels, and/or a larger tunnel. So, it would make common sense to double the cost to a total of $116,000,000. Not completely for or against the idea. Just thought I would put my thought process out there. I do have this opinion. If a tunnel had been constructed, I am not sure we would have had the kind of delays across the Longbridge we have already experienced, and certainly will encounter again.

To see a visualization of what the byway will look like, check out this link.

It has been reported that this is already the most expensive highway project in Idaho history, though that is only partially true. That claim is garnered by the Garwood to Sagle improvement of Highway 95. I am not sure if those high costs include the byway.

U.S. Route 95 is a north-south United States highway. Unlike many other US highways, it has not been the victim of decommissioning by an encroaching Interstate highway corridor. In fact, US 95 is the only US highway to gain mileage after California began to decommission US Highways in the 1960s, and it is the only US Highway not to end in California after entering it.

US Highway 95 in the state of Idaho is going through a massive overhaul. In 2000, Idaho started a massive reconstruction project on Highway 95 in the north of the state due to a large amount of accidents and fatalities. Three main processes have started and will revamp the highway completely.

The first section, south of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho from Fighting Creek on the Coeur d'Alene Indian Reservation to Coeur d'Alene, has since been completed. It changed the highway from a two lane highway to a four lane highway for approximately 10 miles.

The second section, from Fighting Creek to Lake Creek on the Coeur d'Alene Indian Reservation, is currently under progress and will affect a 7 mile stretch of the highway. The project was expected to be completed in mid-2006.

The completion of the project is still years away. One new section has been completed between Sandpoint and Coeur d'Alene, but even funding has been tentative. The economy hurts all parts of our government, but given that there was resistance during boom years, finishing this project may take us into the next decade. Certainly we in North Idaho are the poor stepchildren at the mercy of the larger populated sourthern Idaho lawmakers.

To learn more about the various phases of the project, visit this link provided by ConnectingIdaho.gov.

Sand Creek Byway exchange 

To see the current progress of the byway, here is an aerial overview.