City moves forward on East Center Street bridge underpass inspections amid construction delays

The Pocatello City Council authorized a local professional services agreement with Civil Science, Inc., and the Idaho Transportation Department for inspection services on the East Center Street railroad bridge underpass project.

Public Works Director Tom Kirkman described challenges that have slowed the project, including the discovery of large boulders and conflicts with existing utilities that required pile driving and additional drilling. Those means-and-methods changes added time to the schedule; Kirkman said crews were working to reopen one lane as soon as it is safe to do so and that the city is targeting project completion by the end of 2026.

Council members asked about safety and liability with lanes open during work. Kirkman said the city will only open a lane when site conditions and temporary protections meet safety standards. The agreement under consideration is for construction inspection services; the amount was presented in the staff report (transcript contained numeric artifacts) and staff said the amount is within allocated project funding.

Councilman Nicholls moved to approve the agreement and Councilman Mangum seconded; the motion passed on a roll-call vote.