Little checks out Sagle highway project

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As Idaho Gov. Brad Little got an in-depth update on a project to improve safety at the south end of the Long Bridge, he also got a first-hand look at why it's necessary.

As cars sped up and down U.S. 95, cars would approach the highway from Lakeshore Drive, stop, and then dart out — in some case with a narrow margin of error.

"Are we just going to stay here 'til there's a big wreck," Little quipped, watching the traffic with bemusement after listening to Damon Allen, the Idaho Transportation Department's District 1 engineer, talk about improvements to the Lakeshore Drive and U.S. 95 intersection.

Allen told Little that the project will address what's been known for a long time — the intersection is a safety concern.

"You can see the impossible situation of people," Allen said, then turned to point to the intersection from the nearby Smokehouse Road. "This is Lakeshore Drive right here. They come up, and with the growth in the area, they just can't get out. Plain and simple.

Other options, like signals, aren't an option due to the location, Allen told Little.

"You think just put up a signal but you can't back traffic up on the Long Bridge all the way to Sandpoint," he said. "You can't do that."

Allen said the ITD is funding a $3 million study of the entire U.S. 95 corridor from the south end of Sagle to the Long Bridge to determine a long-term fix for the highway.

"We'll be looking at the final fix for that," he told Little. "It will probably include frontage road, an interchange or something like that so we can clean up all these direct accesses onto U.S. 95 so they're not having to dart out there. That's the big picture."

The project is the first step to improved safety in the area and is "a big deal for a lot of people," state Sen. Jim Woodward said.

The project is among projects approved for funding under an effort by Little to direct $80 million in ongoing funding for transportation infrastructure projects statewide, allowing the state to bond for up to $1.6 billion.

Instead of increased fees or taxes, the funding is a result of redirecting a larger share of the existing sales tax — from 1% to 4.5% — to the funds that support transportation projects.

The project, first suggested by Bonner County Road & Bridge officials, includes a combination of acceleration lanes and U-turns. Lakeshore motorists would be routed into southbound traffic but would be able to reverse course safely and in fairly short order via the U-turns.

Construction is expect to take place over a two-year period, beginning this summer. The first phase, which is in design, could include northbound and southbound acceleration lanes. The second phase, set for the summer of 2022, would include U-turns at Lakeshore Drive and Bottle Bay Road, similar to those already in use in Ponderay, as well as a traffic light at Sagle Road.

Design for the project was done in house with the exception of the U-turns, which will be turned over to a consultant. The project goes out to bid next week and construction will start in July. Allen said it is anticipated the project will be done sometime in July.

His effort to improve the state's transportation system is part of an effort to address increased concerns over the state's recent growth and its impact, Little said.

"My goal is our children and grandchildren would choose to stay here. Unplanned, willy-nilly growth is not conducive to that," he said. "So if I look at everything through that lens, I want them to have a job, I want them to have a good job. If the growth degrades the quality of life, no but I gotta have some growth so there are jobs and increase in economic opportunities but too much growth degrades the quality of life for everybody and it doesn't meet my goal of kids choosing to stay in Idaho."

As part of that effort, Little held a roundtable talk with local officials and business leaders in Sandpoint on Thursday. Most of the conversation dealt with growth and what to do, he said

"The issue is growth, about 97 percent of the conversation was what do we do about growth?," Little said. "It's omnipresent in Idaho, the problem with growth."

Caroline Lobsinger can be reached at clobsinger@bonnercountydailybee.com and followed on Twitter @CarolDailyBee.