Safety projects, air service, truck routes highlight Idaho Transportation Board’s December meeting

An update on safety projects, discussion of commercial air service between Idaho cities, and approval of a heavy truck route in eastern Idaho were highlights of the December 14 meeting of the Idaho Transportation Board in Boise.

Safety projects
The board approved $6.4 million in safety projects from FY16 federal redistribution funds. The money was targeted to projects that would reduce or eliminate fatal and serious injury crashes.

The Transportation Alternatives Program received $1.5 million with match, including a sidewalk and shared-use path separation in Idaho Falls and a HAWK pedestrian beacon system in Blackfoot. More than $2.6 million was provided for joint local/state projects, including reconfiguring free right-turn lanes in Boise and traffic signal upgrades and left turn lanes in Twin Falls.

Over $1 million was available for the Local Highway Safety Improvement Program, including new guardrail and signs in Gooding County, LED stop signs and flashing beacons in Bonneville County, and delineators and chevrons in Benewah County. The $1.3 million for the state Highway Safety Improvement Program will fund a signal installation on U.S. 30 and Philbin Road in District 5 and a turn lane and lighting on Idaho 53 and North Hollister Hills Road in District 1.

129,000-lb. truck route
The board approved the designation of Idaho 39 in District 5 as a 129,000-lb. truck route.

The applicant, Transystems, anticipates a reduction of 8,000 truck trips annually. Its main commodity is sugar beets. Staff’s analyses indicates the road’s geometry can handle 115-foot overall vehicle length and a 6.5-foot off-track. The 16 bridges on the route will safely support vehicle combinations up to 129,000 pounds, assuming the axle configuration conforms to legal requirements.

The Idaho 39 and U.S. 26 intersection is a high accident location, and the route has 10 high accident location clusters. The five-year accident data shows there were a total of 277 crashes involving 416 units on the route, with 19 crashes involving tractor-trailer combinations. Crashes with tractor trailers resulted in 11 injuries and two fatalities. Staff does not believe designating this route for commercial vehicles up to 129,000 pounds will adversely affect safety, partly because of the expected reduction in the number of trucks.

Intra-state commercial air service
An overview on intra-state commercial air service was provided.

In the past, cities with service to Boise included Coeur d’Alene, Salmon and Idaho Falls. Currently, the only in-state route is between Lewiston and Boise, even though the state has seven commercial airports. Idaho Falls expressedsome interest in establishing commercial air service to Boise, but commercial airports are generally more interested in adding frequency to existing routes, or adding new routes outside the state.

Mainly due to the deregulated environment, airlines are in the driver’s seat, saying where and when they will fly. Some of their considerations are the pilot shortage; the fact that many small, rural communities are seeking air service; the lack of regional carriers; and small aircraft result in small profits.

Although expanding intra-state air service is challenging, there are options for airports to explore. Chambers of Commerce may be receptive to subsidizing service, federal grants are available through the Small Community Air Service Development Program, and local option sales taxes are available for some communities.

Published 12-23-16