Submitted by Ken Watts
Another records request of the Idaho Transportation Department reveals that the Chief Operations Officer does not support freeway interchanges on US 20 Ashton to SH 87. This would mean that all intersections in Island Park, at the busier intersections, would be on grade. This approach would mandate stop lights or roundabouts for safety. It is interesting to note that most of ITD’s high speed, limited access, 4 lane, freeway options included interchanges or bypasses of Island Park. Of course the bypasses will destroy Island Park businesses. Ashton has demanded an economic study be conducted to look at the impacts of the highway redesign. Economic analyses are required by the Planning and Environmental Linkages process. Hopefully Island Park will join Ashton in requesting the required economic analysis. Note that COO McElhinney may also be saying that community support of the freeway is required. Of course members of the community are not supporting a 4 lane freeway, but rather adding additional passing lanes (a Super 2 design). The email on interchanges follows: From: Dan McElhinney <[email protected]> Sent on: Tuesday, August 30, 2022 11:59:51 PM To: Jason Minzghor <[email protected]>; Karen Hiatt <[email protected]> CC: Blake Rindlisbacher <[email protected]>; Amy Schroeder <[email protected]> Subject: US 20 options Thank you for meeting today with Blake and I. We don’t support the PEL alternative for freeway access control and freeway interchanges configuration from north of Ashton to state line - which seems beyond the projected traffic needs within 20 years. We do note with community support that likely the four lanes highway option (two lanes each direction) on existing or adjusted alignment, possibly divided by a median, is more feasible and fundable (sic) for program consideration. Let’s meet again to review the draft PEL project benefits and recent traffic report/crash data north of Ashton in more detail later this week? Also what other interim projects could be considered? We will send a shorter list of questions/topics tomorrow as discussed. Thank you. Dan Dan McElhinney, P.E. ITD Chief Deputy/COO
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Making Sense of It All
This blog will help you make sense out of all the information on the website, how it affects IP, our history, and how efforts continue to put IP into various forms of conservation status. Archives
May 2023
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