8/5/2013
Public meeting held to present final design of new Gowen Road Interchange
BOISE – The Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) held a public open house recently to present design plans and gather comments on the new Gowen Road Interchange.
Comments ranged from support for a new interchange to expressing concern about impacts on businesses during construction.
“For business owners, it’s going to be a complicated time for them,” said Dan Clawson, who works at the TK Bar close to the interchange. “It’ll be good when it’s done.”
Vivian Engle also works at a business close to the interchange. She is looking forward to her commute to the Dress Barn in the Boise Outlet Mall after construction finishes.
“I think it’s well overdue just from a safety standpoint,” Engle said, and that she wanted to see how her commute to work will change during construction. “That’s why I came tonight. I wanted to see how to get to work.”
Over the next two weeks, an online public meeting – which includes all materials and information from the open house – will be available on the project website. ITD’s project managers will host a live online chat session where participants will have the opportunity to ask questions about the project. The online chat session will be held Thursday, Aug. 8, from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m.
To participate in the online meeting and sign-up for the chat session, please visit:
www.itd.idaho.gov/Projects/Garvee/D3/I84_Orchard_to_Isaacs/OnlineMeeting/gowen.asp.
In addition to replacing the Gowen Road Interchange, ITD will widen I-84 to three lanes in each direction between Broadway and Gowen. Gowen Road also will be widened and curb, gutter, sidewalks and bicycle lanes will be added.
The cost of this project is currently budgeted at $31 million and is funded through savings in the GARVEE Transportation Program, as well as traditional federal funds.
ITD also is replacing the interchanges at Broadway Avenue and Meridian Road.
Construction is anticipated to begin in early 2014.
News directors, editors: For video footage and still photos of the public meeting, please visit the transportation department's FTP site at: ftp1.idaho.gov. In the User Name field, enter itdcommu. The password is W39gy7D2. The file is titled GOWEN_INTRCHG_PUB_MTG and Gowen VNR Adam.mp4.