Project Main Street

Rebuilding the roadway and improving pedestrian amenities from River to 6^th Street, in partnership with Ketchum Urban Renewal Agency and Idaho Transportation Department

Main Street construction update (4th through 6th Street)

Construction on Main Street between 4th and 6th Street, which began on Monday, April 7, is progressing well, and electrical work and curb and sidewalk demolition are underway. The existing roadway has been removed, and unlike last year, the foundation will not require replacement. The sidewalk work on 2nd Street (south of the Culinary Institute) will be completed by the end of the week. Completion dates are still on schedule:

Full street closure: April 7 to July 3
Rolling sidewalk closures: April 7 to late July

We appreciate your continued patience as we work towards revitalizing the last section of Main Street.

(Updated 5-1-25)

(Updated 5-1-2025)

Elkhorn to River Street Project underway: The Idaho Transportation Department kicked off their Elkhorn to River Street Project on April 29. Stay in the loop on their progress at itdprojects.idaho.gov/pages/idaho75.

ITD-South-of-Town-Plans Download

Click here to receive ITD’s project updates

Sidewalk project on 5^th Street between Main Street and Leadville Avenue: A sidewalk and retaining wall are being added to the south side of this street section for improved pedestrian and business access. Work is underway and is scheduled for completion by Memorial Day.

(Updated 5-1-2025)

Access to businesses will be open throughout construction. Through traffic should use the detour route: Serenade Lane to 2^nd Avenue, 8^th Street to Warm Springs Road, then 10^th Street to Highway 75.

Please note that the bus will be operating on the detour route with the temporary bus stops along the route.

Main-Street-Detour Download

The phases outlined below are intended to give a general idea of construction plans. Slight shifts to these plans may occur throughout construction.

Phase 1 (complete)

April 1 to early May 2024 (complete)

2^nd Street-4^th Street

April 3-30: Roadway closures for utility and infrastructure work
April 19-May 2: Intermittent sidewalk closures (2^nd to Sun Valley Road only) for demolition and infrastructure

Phase 2 (complete)

May 1 to early August 2024 (updated July 25, 2024)

2^nd Street-4^th Street

May 1-late July: Roadway closures for demolition, foundation, and paving
May 3-early August: Intermittent sidewalk closures for demolition, infrastructure, and paver installation

Note: Idaho Power will install a redundant power line during Phase 2 of Main Street construction that requires the following closures.

April 29-May 24: Main Street between River and 2nd Street and 2nd Street from Main Street to Leadville
May 25-June 9: 2nd Street from Leadville to East Avenue
June 10-14: 2nd Street from East Avenue to Alpine Lane
June 15-21: 2nd Street from East to Walnut Avenue
June 24-July 3: 2nd Street from Walnut to Spruce Avenue
July 8-26: 2nd Street from Walnut to Spruce Avenue and Spruce Avenue from 2nd to Sun Valley Road

Phase 3 (complete)

Late July to early October 2024 (updated July 25, 2024)

River Street-2^nd Street

Late July-mid September: Roadway closures for demolition, foundation, and paving
Early August-early October: Intermittent sidewalk closures for demolition and paver installation

Phase 4

April to July 2025 (updated October 24, 2024)

4^th Street-6^th Street

Roadway closures for demolition, foundation, and paving
Intermittent sidewalk closures for demolition, infrastructure, and paver installation

All businesses are open and accessible during construction, and directional signage is located around construction areas.

Support local and score $15! Select Main Street restaurants and retailers adjacent to construction are once again teaming up with the city and offering free $15 vouchers to spend at their respective businesses from April 16 through July 14. Pick up your free voucher at the Ketchum Visitor Center (491 Sun Valley Rd.) during operating hours. Limit one voucher per person.

Participating businesses

Ketchum will be rebuilding the roadway and improving pedestrian amenities from River through 6th Street, in partnership with Ketchum Urban Renewal Agency and Idaho Transportation Department.

Project goals

Rebuild the roadway
Improve travel efficiency during peak travel times
- Reconfigure Sun Valley Road intersection by adding designated left turn lanes on Main Street
- Upgrade traffic signals to decrease unused “green” time
- Synchronize traffic lights for better traffic flow
Improve ADA/pedestrian realm and safety at crosswalks
- Install bulbouts to decrease pedestrian crossing distance at corners
- Install raised intersection at Sun Valley Road for ADA accessibility and better view of pedestrians
Address the issue of “no left turns” in Ketchum

Frequently Asked Questions:

Phase 2 delays caused by the unavailability of contractors and materials and the unexpected need to replace Main Street’s foundation pushed back the start date of Phase 3. Since ITD only allows roadway paving to take place before October 15, it also meant 2 blocks of the project would have to be done in 2025. It was decided to complete River through 2^nd Street first and do 4^th through 6^th Street in 2025 because it would conflict less with Labor Day events in 2024 and ITD’s work south of River Street beginning in early spring 2025 and taking place through 2026.

Main Street’s foundation was in much worse condition than ITD originally anticipated, and it needs to be replaced. The roadway must be fully closed to do this. Also, underground improvements (power, irrigation, and storm drainage) can be done faster if with full road closures, and the public overwhelmingly favored completing the project as quickly as possible.

Yes. However, it would take more time to complete the project and cost more—downsides not favored by the majority of public input received.

You are likely aware that the City’s original request for bids on the project resulted in no interested contractors. This immediately delayed the project until an interested contractor could be secured. Phase 2 began with hopes the roadway between 2^nd and Sun Valley Road could reopen by early July while the sidewalks in the area would be completed later in the month. The contractor then had trouble securing subcontractors and equipment for electrical and curb work. Shortages of materials such as signal mast arms and controller boxes further affected delays.

In mid-July of 2024, it was determined that ITD’s original geotechnical survey of Main Street’s subsurface was not correct, and the foundation would need to be replaced before paving could proceed. This pushed completion back even more, resulting in an end of July 2024 completion for the roadway and early August completion for the sidewalk between 2^nd and 4^th Street.

Despite these unfortunate circumstances, the city and project partners — contractors, subcontractors, ITD and engineers — have been flexible to find solutions to complete the work as quickly as possible, while ensuring the budget and work quality is not compromised.

The entire project scope includes roadway and sidewalk improvements on Main Street from River through 6th Street. Work from River to 4th Street was completed in October of 2024. Work from 4^th to 6^th Street will be completed by the summer of 2025.

The reasons: cost and time. Contractor estimates for work from River to 6th Street exceeded the combined ITD, City of Ketchum, and KURA contributions. And limited contractor availability pushed the work north of 4th Street to 2025. The city worked with ITD to receive more funding and work is now scheduled to complete 4th through 6th Street in 2025.