ITD Reports Deterioration on Long Bridge Pedestrian Span, Outlines Major Future Reconstruction
The Idaho Transportation Department has announced temporary access restrictions on the pedestrian span of the Long Bridge in Sandpoint after routine inspections revealed advancing deterioration in key structural components beneath the bridge deck.
ITD announced the partial closures on May 7, attributing the damage to wear and tear consistent with the bridge’s age. The pedestrian span, which originally opened to vehicle traffic in 1956 and was converted for pedestrian and bicycle use in 1981, is now more than seven decades old.
Structural Concerns Prompt Partial Closures
Inspectors conducting a standard evaluation identified deteriorating concrete at the ends of several load-bearing beams beneath the bridge deck. According to ITD spokesperson Heather McDaniel, the affected sections have been blocked off while engineers determine what repairs are necessary. The partial closures are intended to restrict access to compromised areas while still keeping the remainder of the span open to pedestrians and cyclists.
A complicating factor in the inspection process is that the pedestrian-only restriction on the bridge prevents the use of the large, heavy vehicles that inspection crews typically rely on to access below-deck areas. McDaniel noted that teams have had to use alternative methods — including boats positioned in the water below and drone surveys — to evaluate the deteriorating sections.
“Those inspection tactics are what revealed the deterioration we are now concerned with,” McDaniel said, adding that crews are devising plans for a more thorough evaluation at the end of May that could involve a barge or a lighter vehicle capable of lowering crews over the bridge’s edge.
The full extent of damage and an estimate of repair costs will not be available until after that in-depth inspection is completed, with potential costs expected to be identified sometime later in the summer.
The closures have also impacted a community event — the Veterans of Foreign Wars organization will postpone the installation and dedication of benches fabricated by the Sandpoint High School welding class, which had been scheduled for this month.
Long-Term Plans Include New Four-Lane Crossing
Beyond near-term repairs, ITD outlined a much larger vision for the Long Bridge corridor. A preliminary study initiated in 2024 concluded that the best path forward involves constructing an entirely new bridge running parallel to the existing vehicle span, dedicated to northbound traffic with two lanes. The current vehicle bridge would then carry southbound traffic exclusively, yielding a total of four lanes.
The proposed northbound span would also accommodate bicycle and pedestrian traffic, eventually allowing the aging 1956 pedestrian bridge to be removed. McDaniel acknowledged that the timing and sequencing of that removal have not been finalized and will depend on engineering, environmental, and permitting considerations worked out later in the design process.
She emphasized that maintaining pedestrian and bicycle connectivity across Lake Pend Oreille during any future construction is a priority for the department, though specific solutions remain undetermined at this stage.
The four-lane bridge configuration is designed to connect with broader expansion plans for U.S. Highway 95 southward through Sagle. A related environmental reevaluation is currently underway for the corridor stretching from the Long Bridge south to Dufort Road.
Total cost for the new northbound bridge and associated pedestrian and cycling infrastructure is estimated at a minimum of $225 million, a figure McDaniel cautioned could shift substantially as the project advances. ITD is preparing to pursue a federal grant to fund preliminary design development and geotechnical analysis of subsoil conditions beneath the lake, which she described as less than ideal. That analysis alone is expected to cost in the range of several million dollars.
Intersection Changes to Address Crash Patterns
In the shorter term, ITD is also addressing a pattern of crashes and congestion near the bridge’s southern approach. Changes are coming to the intersection of U.S. 95 and Lakeshore Drive, where officials say accidents frequently cause backups onto the bridge itself.
The department plans to re-stripe the intersection in late May or early June to eliminate the left-turn option from Lakeshore onto the highway, directing drivers to use the J-turn farther south to access northbound U.S. 95. A raised concrete median capable of physically preventing the maneuver is planned for construction later in the summer.
“That should help to significantly reduce the number of crashes we are seeing there,” McDaniel said.
The intersection and bridge updates come as local candidates and officials have fielded questions from residents about infrastructure and community priorities, including at recent public forums covering contested Legislative District 1 and Bonner County races. Transportation investment and corridor safety along Highway 95 have been recurring themes in community discussions heading into the 2026 primary season.
What Comes Next
ITD is targeting the end of May for a thorough structural inspection of the deteriorating beam ends on the pedestrian bridge, with repair cost estimates to follow later in the summer. The Lakeshore Drive intersection re-striping is expected in late May to early June, with a permanent concrete median to follow. The federal grant application for preliminary bridge design and geotechnical analysis is in preparation, with a long-term construction timeline for the new four-lane crossing to be shaped by environmental review and engineering findings in the years ahead.