Submitted by Ken Watts.
The next “public meetings/open houses” for the US 20 Ashton to SH 87 project will be held on September 28th in Ashton and September 29th in Island Park. Please plan to attend these important events and express your concerns. These open houses come after the third alternatives screening that was conducted in August. You do not need to attend this open house “cold”. The alternatives sketches used at the screening meeting are on display at the Island Park City Building. You can take your time to review the sketches in an environment that will allow you to study the alternatives and formulate questions for ITD. Also, comments can be left for the mayor and the city council if you wish. Generally, there are three four lane freeway options for each of the six highway segments between Ashton and SH 87. It is possible that the Idaho Transportation Department will show fewer options and maybe just one option for each segment at the September meetings. Do NOT accept the options presented! Tell ITD you want a two lane option (super two) with more passing lanes, wider shoulders. rumble strips, trees cut back, and improved intersections. Remind ITD that visitation to Yellowstone is down 30% this year and down 45% in July of this year. Remind ITD that they have completed two studies for a super 2 highway, starting nearly 10 years ago. Remind ITD that the JUB Engineers, super 2 study projected this design will be good through 2042 and much longer if visitation to Yellowstone remains lower. Remind ITD that a 4 lane, high speed, limited access freeway will cause profound environmental damage in the Island Park Caldera. Remind ITD that this freeway will destroy businesses, the historical nature of the community, and the livability environmental of Island Park. Remind ITD that they are risking Harriman State Park with their freeway. Remind ITD that wetlands will be destroyed at the headwaters of the Snake River Aquifer. Remind ITD that the community met and unanimously voted for a super 2 highway. Remind ITD that the cost of a freeway is obscene ($700 million dollars). Remind ITD that a freeway will block wildlife movement. Do not fall into the trap of reviewing the freeway options. Rather, make it very clear that you want an improved two lane highway that will be adequate for several decades and maybe forever. SAY NO TO A FREEWAY IN THE ISLAND PARK CALDERA!
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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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