IDAHO NATIONAL
Idaho
Transportation |
Imagine driving through Southwest Idaho and not being able to tell when you've left one town and entered another because residential growth has blurred the boundaries. This could become reality in the next 25 years or less according to growth projections for southwestern Idaho. Here is a timeline:
Since 1980, the population of southwestern Idaho has nearly doubled. Two-thirds of Idaho's growth occurred in the six-county region of Ada, Canyon, Boise, Elmore, Gem and Payette counties. To help plan for our areas' future growth, the Community Planning Association of Southwest Idaho (COMPASS) and the Idaho Transportation Department are collaborating in a project called Communities in Motion.
Communities in Motion is a six-county, 20+ year plan that will address issues on the regional transportation system, evaluate the needs for future corridors and address the effects of growth on transportation. The Ada County work is being coordinated with the Blueprint for Good Growth project; results will be shared among the two planning efforts. The project started as a plan for Ada and Canyon counties. In 2003, ITD began emphasizing the need to expand the planning area to better address issues on a regional basis. The reasons for expanding the area included:
Residents of the six counties are encouraged to become
involved and offer opinions about land use and the future transportation
system by attending one of four workshops - two each in Boise and Nampa. Anyone wishing to participate in a workshop should e-mail CIM@cableone.net to confirm their attendance. For more information about this project, please visit www.communitiesinmotion.org. |