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Highway district, Boise officials break ground on new road

ITD was represented Wednesday morning at the launch of a project that will transform vacant land near the Boise River and behind ITD Headquarters.

A new corridor will connect State Street and Fairview avenue, north of the river, providing improved access to the Headquarters campus from the east. It also will serve as the gateway to the new Esther Simplot park, river recreation and possible urban development.

Construction of the corridor required a slice of ITD property east of the Annex and the “bullpen” along Rose Street.

From the Idaho Statesman
Ada County Highway District and Boise city officials gathered Wednesday morning to break ground on Whitewater Park Boulevard, a new north-south roadway connecting Fairview Avenue and State Street in the 30th Street area.

Construction on the nine-month-long project will start on Friday.

The five-lane $9.1 million roadway will align with the existing 30th and 31st streets and Rose Street, running parallel to the Boise River between Fairview and State.

Other project features include bike lanes, sidewalks, center medians north of Pleasanton Avenue and three pedestrian crossing signals. In addition, a two-lane roundabout at Stewart Avenue, the entrance to the future Esther Simplot Park, will be constructed. The project also includes upgrades to city sewer services.

The new roadway will help reduce traffic on 27th Street, which after construction will be re-striped between Main Street and State Street to include one travel lane in each direction, a center turn lane and bike lanes. Currently, the road includes two lanes in each direction and does not have bike lanes or a turn lane.

The new roadway is one of the linchpins for Boise's 30th Street master plan, which includes the Esther Simplot and White Water parks.

"Today, we have a chance to get it right up front, making sure the new road and today’s neighborhood work well together — while laying the foundation for what this area will become in future decades. This extraordinary opportunity comes from the close cooperation between the City of Boise, the neighborhood, the Capital City Development Corporation and ACHD," said ACHD Commission President Sara Baker.