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Board begins annual tours of districts,
meets in Lewiston Wednesday, Thursday

The Transportation Board will hit the road again this month as it begins its annual tours of the districts.

The board has a full day of activities planned in District 2 on Wednesday. The tour will begin at the Lewiston Airport with an overview of the activities under way and projects planned at the facility. After touring the containerized ship yard and hearing about the proposed dock extension at the Port of Lewiston, the group will travel U.S. 95 north to Potlatch where it will have lunch with maintenance crews from Potlatch and Moscow.

The afternoon itinerary includes meetings with University of Idaho officials and city of Moscow officials and a stop at a roving port of entry for a demonstration on the roving weigh station.

Capital Investment Program levels for the FY09-13 draft STIP
A number of factors, including explosive growth, soaring construction costs and shrinking revenue, have created an estimated shortfall of $240 million annually in unmet transportation needs in Idaho. Because of funding constraints, revenue reductions will need to be made to some of the programs in the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program.

ITD staff members will seek board guidance as they update the STIP that covers Fiscal Years 2009-2013.

Staff members will present several funding reduction options for the board’s consideration when it meets on Thursday in District 2. The implications that each option will have on the pavement condition also will be discussed. The board is committed to improving the condition of Idaho’s highways to a point where 82 percent are rated as good or fair within the next four to five years.

Operating the current highway system is the board’s highest priority, followed by preservation, restoration, and then expansion.

Because the public is concerned the popular Enhancement Program may be eliminated, the department has received a number of requests to continue funding this program. It is a valuable program to communities because it provides funding for amenities like recreational trails and historical transportation structures – restoring railroad depots and tourist attractions such as the Oregon Trail Museum in Montpelier.

The board will consider the various funding options to ensure a balanced program that causes the least impact to pressing transportation needs.

Transportation Development Agreements
ITD staff members will report on efforts to implement Transportation Development Agreements (TDAs). The agreements involve the transportation department, land use agencies, metropolitan planning organizations, highway districts and developers.

The purpose of the agreements is to encourage intergovernmental coordination, provide an additional finance tool for transportation improvement projects needed to meet access demands, and mitigate traffic-related impacts caused by development. Voluntary fees collected from developers/landowners will be used to finance transportation improvement projects related to development.

The department and developers will plan and study the impacts of proposed development and incorporate needed additions, if any, to the state highway system.

The TDAs are a result of requests by local governmental agencies and developers to focus on public-private partnerships to fund needed transportation systems related to intense development.

Design approval for the I-84, Ten Mile Interchange
Six interchange design options and various realignments of impacted local roads have been evaluated for a new interchange to be constructed on I-84 in Meridian. A Single Point Urban Interchange (SPUI) for Ten Mile will be recommended to the board for approval.

The December public hearing drew 121 people. No significant public contention was noted and no significant changes to the project were made as a result of public testimony.

Construction on the interchange is expected to begin in June 2009. The project will be funded with GARVEE bonds.