Westway Construction Inc., of Airway Heights, has begun work on $6.3 million in projects at four Pacific Northwest locations, including a $3.8 million federal project to construct a new bridge over the Little Salmon River near Riggins, Idaho.

In addition to the Little Salmon River bridge, the company recently began work on the second and final phase of a $1.7 million job to redeck the Flathead River Bridge near Polson, Mont., for the Montana Department of Transportation, says Westway project manager Nate McKinley. In addition, the company is working on two separate pedestrian projects: one for the Washington state Department of Transportation, in Wilbur, Wash.; and one for the Coeur d'Alene Tribe of Indians just outside of Tensed, Idaho.

On the Little Salmon River project, Westway is constructing a 177-foot bridge just upriver from an aging bridge that carries Salmon River Road across the Little Salmon River. The project, located just east of U.S. 95, is being done for the Federal Highway Administration. The new two-lane bridge will be about 32 feet wide and should be in place by fall 2010, McKinley says. The old bridge will be left in place, but Westway will convert it into a pedestrian and bicycle bridge with some minor upgrades, including refurbished railings and new signs, McKinley says.

In the project, Westway also will realign the road slightly and add a turning lane adjacent to the northbound lane of U.S. 95 for cars to use to slow down before they turn onto Salmon River Road.

In Montana, Westway has begun the second and final phase of work to redeck the Flathead River Bridge, in Polson. Phase one, which entailed redecking the northbound lane of the bridge, had to be completed before Memorial Day, and phase two began right after Labor Day, to avoid traffic disruptions during the busy summer tourist season, McKinley says. In the second phase of work, Westway is removing the top two inches of the bridge deck surface on the southbound lane of the bridge, which carries U.S. 93 over the Flathead River there, and resurfacing it. The project should be completed by the end of October, McKinley says.

In Tensed, Westway recently began construction of a $380,000 pedestrian path and pedestrian bridge between the southwest edge of Tensed and Desmet Road. The nine-foot-wide asphalt path will run due south along U.S. 95 for about 3,000 feet, with the nine-foot-wide, 100-foot-long prefabricated bridge to be constructed over Hangman Creek near the beginning of the path, McKinley says. The tribe is constructing the path there to provide safe pedestrian access along that alignment of U.S. 95 to a cemetery and school. Tensed is located about 50 miles south of Coeur d'Alene.

In Wilbur, Westway is constructing a $290,000 pedestrian path and bridge for the Washington DOT, including new sidewalks and gutters. The 10-foot-wide, 100-foot-long prefabricated steel bridge will carry pedestrians and bicyclists over Goose Creek. The path and bridge will parallel U.S. 2, which runs through town, McKinley says. That project is under way and will be finished this fall.