Hadley Bodell
POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) – If you’ve passed through the historic downtown area of Pocatello recently, you’ve likely run into many road closures, detours, road cones and closed sidewalks. The City of Pocatello currently has multiple construction projects underway downtown, including rebuilding walls on the Center Street underpass, replacing the Portneuf River Bridge on Benton Street, and, though not a city-affiliated project, Google Fiber is being installed throughout neighborhoods.
Tom Kirkman, the public works director for the City of Pocatello, said they’re also completing pedestrian safety programs on Main Street this summer. Parks and Recreation received a significant tree grant and has been removing dying trees and replacing them.
The Construction Projects
For those who have lived in the area for a few years, the Center Street underpass closure may feel all too familiar.
“A couple of years ago we had the underpass closed and we had some permitting issues that kept us from getting the work completed,” Kirkman said. “It’s something we’re not really proud of, but we’re moving forward from that and learning from mistakes. Now, we’re moving forward on the underpass and making really good progress.”
Kirkman says construction crews are replacing the retaining walls and pieces of the sidewalk on the underpass. The retaining walls are critical to the structure and, if left to decay, could lead to an implosion.
“The retaining walls are what hold back the earth supporting the railroad tracks as well as prevent collapses onto vehicles,” he said. “The underpass is approaching 100 years old, it’s served us well, but it’s starting to show us its age and it’s currently safe, but we need to get ahead of it.”
The Center Street underpass construction, Friday, June 12
The city has planned to replace all the bridges over the concrete levee section of the Portneuf River. The bridge on Benton Street is the last one to undergo construction. It’s age has led to weight restrictions for crossing, and Kirkman said with the help of a grant, they are able to replace the bridge at no cost to the city.
The noise around Benton Street is a result of crews pounding in pilings to get foundation work complete for the bridge installation. Kirkman says the city understands the inconvenience on local residents.
“We appreciate the patience of the neighbors,” he said. “We’re trying to get this done as quick as we can. We know it’s a struggle, but we’ll get there.”
The timelines for these construction projects remain fluid, as crews run into problems associated with the Gate City. The downtown area is famous for large rocks that came in from the flood 50 years ago, creating hiccups in the construction process today. Now, the city says they hope to have the Benton Bridge rebuilt by fall 2026 and the Center Street underpass back open at the end of this year.
“We’ve put a second crew down there, we’re working 50 hours a week instead of 40 now to try to get back on track so we can get this done,” Kirkman explained. “We know it’s been a big inconvenience for the public and for businesses both on the east and the west side in historic downtown.”
The Portneuf River Bridge contruction on Benton Street. Friday, June 12
Another underpass used to stand on Halliday street, but had to be filled in with gravel years ago due to structural issues. The city is trying to avoid the same issues by getting ahead of the Center Street underpass. Kirkman said it’s too valuable to the community and they don’t want to lose the ability to go under the railroad.
Thankfully, visiting tourists can find road closures and detours on Google Maps, an addition to the construction process Kirkman says should ease traffic flow issues.
“The closures will be on Google Maps, it will direct you to one of the overpasses on either end instead of running you into a construction site,” he said. “We think that’s been a big help and we hope it’s helped the businesses try to get some of that tourism back.”
But, local businesses are struggling.
Local businesses see decrease in customers
The Center Street underpass is a major through-way off from Interstate 15’s exit 69 in Pocatello and offers a direct route into downtown, where tourists can support local businesses.
“We’re coming up on six months now that it’s been closed, and it’s certainly affected us quite a bit,” said Bill Kelvie, owner of Gate City Coffee, a local favorite in the heart of downtown. “Our numbers and averages reflect that the foot traffic in downtown is very, very low right now because of that.”
Kelvie said regulars he used to see in the coffee shop multiple times a week are now in only a few times a month. They tell him it’s because it’s just too hard or “out of their way” to make it to their storefront off Main Street and Center.
“While the locals still know how to get around the detours, the tourists don’t,” Kelvie said. “We realize this is a project that needs to be done, we support it, we just feel it’s taken a tremendous amount of time, multiple efforts that weren’t done correctly, and that effects downtown businesses.”
He said the City could invest in larger signage pointing visitors to the historic downtown area, which would help alleviate the low traffic. Most international or regional travelers are headed to Yellowstone National Park through Pocatello, and Kelvie says without a convenient way to get downtown for a coffee or shopping, the tourists forgo it altogether and move on.
While Yellowstone has reached a record number of tourists already this season, the numbers for downtown Pocatello businesses do not reflect that. “We usually have people from all over Europe, South Africa, all over the place,” Kelvie said. “And we’re not seeing them. If the City could really step up and get some really good signs, big signs that say ‘historic downtown Pocatello this way,’ and bring them down here, that would help solve a lot of the problem.”
Kelvie says they were told one lane of the underpass would remain open throughout construction, and he and his wife have been sorely disappointed this isn’t the case. To date, the underpass hasn’t opened, and there’s no word of a usable lane coming soon.
“Historic downtown is the unpolished gem in our area, and it’s the heart of Pocatello,” Kelvie said. “Let the people who want to make downtown Pocatello a nice place, make it a nice place.”
Kelvie said they haven’t had an update for a couple of months about the project and don’t know if it’s still on track to complete at the end of the year. Kirkman still cited the end of 2026 as the project’s completion date, but after every hiccup and disappointment for local business owners, Kelvie isn’t so sure.
“I don’t want to be negative on the project, we like the project and know it needs to be done, and we’re certainly excited for it to open eventually,” Kelvie said.
For now, local business owners say to continue supporting them by traveling by detour into the downtown area.
“We have some really nice stores and businesses down here that are worth coming down and shopping in,” Kelvie said. “We have great antique stores down here and other businesses that really want to earn your business as a customer. They’re your neighbors, they’re your friends, they’re people you know, so come support them.”
Kelvie mentioned several businesses are struggling with the lack of traffic this season, some closing up shop and others moving to more frequented locations. The traffic on Main Street has saved many of them, providing traffic of locals to and from work. Still, the foot traffic in downtown is low.
“I will say the difference is pretty substantial,” Kelvie said. “Enough for me as a person who has been in business for many years to really have to pause and evaluate and say, ‘does the City of Pocatello really support businesses in historic downtown?'”
Comment from the Chamber of Commerce
Organizations like the Pocatello-Chubbuck Chamber of Commerce are doing what they can to support local businesses during a drought season.
“The Center Street underpass has been a project for quite a long time, and it really needs to get done, but it’s important that it does get done because we need that structure to be solid. Most of the businesses down here understand that,” said Matthew Hunter, President and CEO of the Pocatello-Chubbuck Chamber of Commerce. “Their regular customers are finding them with the wayfaring signs the city put up. We support local businesses throughout the community, beyond the downtown area, too.”
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