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Sandcreek Byway mentioned in quarterly magazine

The cover of Sandpoint’s quarterly visitor’s magazine rivals that of iconic National Geographic. A wolf with penetrating eyes stares from the fork of a tree, introducing an article on “Wolves Contentious Comeback.”

The summer 2013 issue also includes an “interview with filmmaker Ted Parvin, History of Sandpoint in 10 objects, Ultimate Frisbee, Cedar Street Bridge at 30, Entrepreneurs of Sandpoint, Camping Our Lake, A Carpe Diem photo essay … and a lot more.

Nestled between the history of Sandpoint and a photo essay, on Page 80, is a full page devoted to “A reality 58 years in the making.” The short article is accompanied by a black-and-white artist’s rendition of downtown Sandpoint as it would look with a U.S. 95 bypass. The futuristic view came from the State of Idaho Department of Highways in 1955.

Immediately below the artist’s sketch is a full-color photograph of the new Sandcreek Byway, completed and opened in 2012. Remarkably, if oriented the same, the before and after views would be strikingly similar. It seems the ultimate product is little changed from the original vision, despite unprecedented public involvement.

The magazine article provided a summary of the state’s largest highway construction project:

“When the Sand Creek Byway opened to traffic on July 27, 2012, it finally ended an ongoing, passionate argument over a bypass around downtown Sandpoint. Among options proposed over the years were a through-town route; a west-side route with a new bridge near Dover; and even a tunnel. But as this vintage photo and conceptual sketch from 1955 shows, in the end it was an idea proposed more than –half a century ago that came to fruition. ‘As you can see, it is not much different than the project that was completed a half-century later,’ said Steve Gill of the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality. So far, reviews of the new byway are largely positive. Mayor Marsha Ogilvie, originally an opponent who became a reluctant supporter, summed up a common sentiment: ‘The final result is something I am proud of, and I think it will prove to be an asset to our community for years to come.’ The photo reveals much about how the town as changed in 58 years, and at least one argument has been laid to rest.”
– Sandpoint Magazine