D4 office location, ITIP changes, growth of Aero
highlight Oct. board meeting

Relocation of the D4 office, changes to the Idaho Transportation Investment Program (ITIP), a sewer project in Blackfoot, and the status of Aeronautics were highlights of the Idaho Transportation Board meeting Oct. 26 in Boise.

District 4 Office Reconstruction
At its meeting at the Boise Headquarters, the board approved constructing a new District 4 administrative building on property that ITD owns near the Interstate 84 and US-93 interchange. Based on previous reports and because of other factors, the I-84/US-93 location was the preferred site. Several other places were considered, including the current location in Shoshone.

The Department of Correction and the Idaho Military Division have expressed intent to co-locate with ITD at this site, which would save each agency about $1.5 million. Another advantage to constructing the new District 4 office near this interchange is the opportunity to relocate the Jerome maintenance facility to this site. The Jerome maintenance shed is in an area that is becoming more residential. Because maintenance facilities are generally not compatible with residential neighborhoods, it is anticipated that the Jerome maintenance facility will need to be relocated in the future. Also, additional state agencies may look for new facilities in the future and this site would presumably be an attractive option.

Earlier reports on reconstructing the administrative office found that the commute times of current employees is 963 minutes for the Junction of I-84 and US-93 location versus 1,221 minutes for the Shoshone location. The District 4 population center, which also represents the customer center, is in Twin Falls. By moving the administrative building from Shoshone to the outskirts of Jerome or into Twin Falls, the number of potential applicants for replacement jobs rises by five to six times. The number of total workers within a 30-minute commute rises over three times. A report also noted, however, that the move would have a negative economic impact on Shoshone and the surrounding communities in Lincoln County.

Programming and Project Changes
The board approved a number of changes to the Idaho Transportation Improvement Program. Ten projects were recommended for funding with the $37.7 million FY19 State Strategic Initiative Program.

Funds that became available because of the receipt of the $90.24 million Infrastructure for Rebuilding America grant would be repurposed to acquire right-of-way for the ID-16 corridor from Interstate 84 to US-20/26. Projects to be funded with Transportation Expansion and Congestion Mitigation funds through FY25 were proposed, including new projects on US-20/26 from I-84 to Middleton. ITD and its partners have applied for a grant to help fund that corridor, so staff recommended including it in the Program. The last changes are in the Freight Program: delaying $8.6 million of construction funds for the West Bridge Street Bridge in Blackfoot in FY23 to FY25, and re-directing those funds (plus some additional funds) to the US-95, Granite North and Frontage Roads project.

Blackfoot Sewer Project
The board also approved up to $1.1 million for the Blackfoot sewer project.

The city of Blackfoot received a grant to replace several sanitary sewer lines, including one located under Interstate 15 near Riverton Road. The sewer line pre-dates the interstate. Neither ITD nor the Federal Highway Administration will allow open-trench construction on I-15. Because open-trench is less expensive, the city requested ITD participation in the cost to bore a replacement line under I-15.

Staff supported the city’s request, partly because the interstate removed some of the city’s flexibility to address the sewer line. Other advantages are that boring will eliminate potential disruption to I-15 traffic during the sewer’s replacement and ITD can be involved in the project to protect I-15.

Boise Airport
The board heard a presentation on the growth the Boise area, and specifically the airport, has been experiencing. The region’s population is expected to grow by approximately 63% between 2015 and 2040, with 88% of the migration expected from people moving from outside of Idaho.

The airport’s annual operating budget is $25 million and it employs about 100 people. In addition to commercial air service, the facility houses nearly 200 tenants, including cargo facilities, corporate hangars, medical transport, the National Interagency Fire Center, and the Idaho National Guard.

In 2017, about 3.5 million passengers traveled through the airport, a 9% increase from 2016. The top origination/destination markets are Seattle, Portland, Phoenix, and Los Angeles.

A new five-story parking garage is planned in 2019. The airport is also continuing efforts to re-locate the Division of Aeronautics so the facility can be expanded, including a new concourse.

Published 11-09-18