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Decade later, Twin Falls Alternate Route has increased safety, reduced congestion and created jobs

In the early '90s, ITD began the long process of developing an alternate route of US-93 in Twin Falls. That process came to a close on Dec. 16, 2010 when the new roadway was officially opened. Almost a decade after that opening, we take a brief look back at that project and see whether or not it accomplished all it set out to do.

"There were many factors that were considered with this project," said ITD South-Central Idaho District Engineer Devin Rigby.

"One of the focus areas of the project was congestion. US-93 originally went right through the middle of Twin Falls, and that meant commercial truck traffic also traveled that path." The project aimed to offer an alternate route of travel that diverted large trucks from the congested city streets of Blue Lakes and Washington, but doing so would not be a simple task.

Pole Line Road was determined to be the best option for the new route. At that point in time however, the roadway was nothing more than a simple two-lane stretch of pavement.

"We took a road that serviced a single lane of traffic in either direction, and constructed a route that now supports six lanes of traffic with dedicated turn lanes onto city and county roads." Rigby further explained that including these turn bays in the design also helped to improve safety in the area and keep through traffic moving.

Improvements in safety were also seen at the intersection of Pole Line and Washington Street, where a signalized intersection now stands in place of the former four-way stop.

Alleviating congestion by building an alternate route was not the only benefit of the project, however, something that's evident from the boom in commercial development that Twin Falls has experienced in that area since the new roadway was complete.

"When you create an environment that is motorist friendly, it increases patronage of nearby businesses," Rigby said. "To paraphrase a timeless movie line, 'if you build it, they will come'."

Walmart, Les Schwab, and the new St. Luke's Hospital are just a few of the major establishments that have made the move. Multiple hotel chains and businesses have also built facilities along the new route and motorists are never lacking of freshly established dining options.

Increased safety, decreased congestion, and creating jobs through new business ventures is definitely something to be proud of, but Rigby is quick to point out other parties that had a hand in the process and are worthy of credit as well.

"Not only were politicians in favor of the project, but we also worked with the greater Twin Falls Transportation Committee throughout the environmental, design and construction process," said Rigby. "Both of them helped secure initial funding for the project and were integral in seeing this vision become a reality."

Looking back one can gather that although the project was a heavily involved and lengthy process, it was one well worth the investment in time and resources.