Boise’s busy Warm Springs Avenue will have road closures through December. Here’s why

In order to replace a leaky heating pipe that’s almost 50 years old, sections of Warm Springs Avenue in Boise will be closed to traffic over the next few months.

Beginning with the current closure of the road between Bruce Avenue and Elm Street, contractors will shut down and work on two-block segments of Warm Springs until early December, when they hope to finish the project, said Del Eytchison, manager for the Boise Warm Springs Water District. The work is happening between Broadway Avenue and Parkcenter Boulevard, he told the Idaho Statesman, a stretch of roughly 4 miles.

The project started Monday, according to the district’s web page about the project. It will cost about $2.1 million, Eytchison said.

The leaky pipe that contractors will replace transports geothermal water to heat houses on Warm Springs, Eytchison said. District customers will see a 40% increase on their annual bills, he said, which will mean households paying anywhere from $360 to $3,400 more a year.

Most feedback has been positive, according to Eytchison, but some people have complained. “They’re a little upset until they hear what’s going on,” he said.

The Ada County Highway District approved a permit for the closure that ends on Dec. 8, spokesperson Rachel Bjornestad told the Statesman.

Knife River is the company doing the work, according to the district’s website.

Eytchison said the water district started in 1892 and is the oldest geothermal organization in the country.