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Transportation board returns to Treasure Valley for monthly meeting
June 15-16

The Idaho Transportation Board learned about the future of Middleton and status of Boise’s Broadway Bridge project during a Treasure Valley tour conducted as part of the board’s June meeting held at ITD’s District 3 office June 15-16.

The board toured District 3 on June 15. Some of the activities included visiting with the Middleton mayor, who talked about the city’s efforts to plan for its continued growth, and viewing the Broadway Bridge, which is being replaced in Boise.

Highway Safety
At the business meeting on June 16, the board heard some highway safety messages.

It recognized Valley and Washington counties for having zero highway fatalities last year. Although the vision is to have zero highway fatalities statewide, it is important to recognize small victories and thank law enforcement partners for their highway safety efforts.

The board also heard about the Boise Bicycle Project. The program provides bicycles to kids and teaches them about bicycle safety. The education is not provided in a classroom setting, but is interactive and conducted one-on-one. The goal is to keep kids safe while biking.

GARVEE Program
The final Grant Anticipation Revenue Vehicle bonds (GARVEE) program report was presented. The $929 million program was the single largest investment in Idaho’s transportation system since the modern-day interstate system was built in the 1960s. The program made significant improvements to aging infrastructure throughout the state.

The bonds funded 59 projects in six corridors. They constructed 119 lane miles, 15 new bridges, and five new interchanges; replaced or widened 26 bridges; and reconstructed or improved nine existing interchanges. Improvements were made to U.S. 95 in District 1, Interstate 84 and Idaho 16 in District 3, and U.S. 30 in District 5. The projects were delivered on time, at an accelerated pace, and at lower costs than anticipated.

Speed Limit Changes
A legislative change in 2014 allows speed limits up to 70 miles per hour (mph) on state highways. A traffic and engineering investigation was performed on select routes in Districts 1 and 6, resulting in a recommendation to increase the speed limit from 65 mph to 70 mph. District 6 contacted a number of stakeholders, such as Idaho State Police, Idaho National Laboratory and counties, to discuss the proposed changes.

The board approved staff’s recommendation to increase the speed limit to 70 on portions of U.S. 95 in District 1 and U.S. 20, Idaho 22, and Idaho 28 in District 6.

It also approved reducing the speed limit from 80 mph to 65 mph on a portion of I-84 in Boise.

The interchanges and segment of roadway between Broadway Interchange and Gowen Interchange have been under construction for the past two years. Substantial reconfiguration changes resulted in the need to reexamine the speed limit along this segment. A traffic and engineering investigation indicated the speed limit should be reduced.

District 3 Report
The board also heard a report on District 3’s activities.

Of the 33 projects delivered in FY16, 24 were programmed and nine were advanced into the program. Six projects were delayed; however, those projects were mainly delayed to companion with other projects for efficiency, to provide better traffic control and to lessen the impact to the traveling public. The value of construction projects awarded was $57.8 million.

The district issued 400 permits in FY16 to date. The winter mobility goal of 60 percent was exceeded, as the district’s roads were not significantly impeded 79 percent of the time. It received several awards, including the ASCE Southern Idaho Section Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement award for projects greater than $10 million for the Meridian Interchange reconstruction; the American Council of Engineering Companies of Idaho awarded first place to the Broadway Interchange and Gowen Railroad Bridge projects; the I-84 GARVEE interchanges received the Excellence in Transportation Award, Public Participation category; and the Idaho Business Review named the Idaho 16 extension project the top project of the year.