8/7/2013
Reed Hollinshead
ITD Communication
208-334-8881
reed.hollinshead@itd.idaho.gov
Unique partnership drives Anderson Corner improvements on U.S. 95 this fall
BOISE - A unique partnership has accelerated safety improvements this fall on U.S. 95 at Anderson Corner, which sits on the Canyon and Payette county line, the Idaho Transportation Department announced. Work at the intersection, north of Parma (Canyon County) and south of Fruitland (Payette County), also will improve traffic flow.
The project is a cooperative effort between ITD; Nunhems USA Inc., part of Bayer CropScience (headquartered in Parma); the Idaho Department of Commerce; and the Western Alliance for Economic Development.
Work is expected to begin just after Labor Day and finish about a month later. The project is now being advertised to potential contractors, with a bid opening Aug. 13.
Click here for Picture 1, Picture 2, Picture 3 and Picture 4 of the intersection. The intersection was named after the store, which is on the northwest corner. The Nunhems USA plant is just across the intersection.
Crews will construct a new northbound right-turn lane onto Anderson Corner Road, and will extend the southbound acceleration lane by one-quarter mile, providing room for safer merging onto U.S. 95.
The intersection impacts local agriculture traffic, major trucking transportation routes and local traffic patterns.
Nunhems USA’s Parma plant employs approximately 170 full-time and up to 70 seasonal workers at peak times. During the harvest season, they handle up to 25 trucks per day, according to regional head of finance and administration for Nunhems, Tyson Smith.
The new northbound right-turn lane is a cooperative effort between the parties. The acceleration lane extension was a decision made by ITD after hearing concerns from people who use the road and those who work in the vicinity of the U.S. 95, U.S. 20/26, Anderson Corner Road Intersection.
Two-lane U.S. 95 has no turn lane at the intersection, so full-speed drivers sometimes contend with motorists in front of them who have slowed or stopped to turn.
“The speed limit on the highway is 65 mph, with a lot of truck traffic and fog in the winter,” Smith said. “Over the years, we’ve had many near misses and thought that a turn lane would provide a safe access to Anderson Corner Road and our facility,” he added.
“We're making the intersection safer by separating the turning traffic from the full-speed through traffic,” explained Dave Kuisti, ITD southwest engineering manager.
Nunhems is contributing $75,000 and the Western Alliance grant another $75,000, while ITD is spending $350,000.
There have been 11 crashes since 2006 at the intersection.