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Idaho Transportation
Department

Public Affairs Office
P.O. Box 7129
Boise, ID 83707
208.334.8005
Fax: 208.334.8563
Email


Communities in Motion to begin work
on regional transportation plan

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:

  • In Ada County, the urban areas will fill by 2015, and the remaining growth will move into the rural areas.
  • In Canyon County, the urban areas will fill by 2020, and the remaining growth will move into the rural areas.
  • By 2030, Ada County's total population is expected to increase to 548,210 - a jump of some 220,000 people, a population larger than present-day Canyon County.

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.

Workshop schedule

Tuesday, Nov. 16
9 a.m. to noon - Hispanic Cultural Center
315 Stampede Dr., Nampa
or
6 to 9 p.m. - Hampton Inn at the Idaho Center
5700 E. Franklin Rd., Nampa

Wednesday, Nov. 17
9 a.m. to noon
or
6 to 9 p.m.
Best Western Vista Inn at the Airport (Rocky Mountain Conference Center)
2645 Airport Way, Boise
(Same location for both workshops)

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:

  • Focus on regional/corridor level issues
  • Use as basis for seeking major federal assistance
  • Integrate with Idaho Transportation Department plans
  • Address “beyond the border” transportation issues

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.

The workshops feature an interactive game that allows participants to use regional maps to plot future residential development, industrial development and main streets using “chip” sets. The project team will use completed maps to develop future options. Participants will be invited to another workshop early next year to refine these options.

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.

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