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Idaho Transportation
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Office of Communications
P.O. Box 7129
Boise, ID 83707
208.334.8005
Fax: 208.334.8563

 


Victor/Driggs, Riggins area looks forward
to expanded public transportation options

The city of Victor will benefit from the federal stimulus effort by receiving $283,927 that will go to improvements of the Victor Transit Center in southern Teton County.

The stimulus funds are being used to engineer, design and construct a looped access road and consolidated parking with a bus pick-up and drop off point for commuters making their way to and from Jackson, Wyo. The park-and-ride facility will accommodate 115 vehicles. Future plans for the project include an all-weather comfort station.

The formal engineering and design process is under way, with a completion date of Dec. 21. The transit center will be constructed using low-impact design principles such as bio-retention zones and native plantings for the parking facility. A low-impact planting interpretive center, made possible thanks to an additional grant, will be a feature of the center. Construction, estimated to take eight weeks, will begin in spring 2010, as weather allows. If the eight-week construction timeline is met, the transit center will operational by next summer.

The transit center is connected to the regional pathway and may be accessed by pedestrians, bicyclists, carpools riders or parker/commuters. It will serve commuters traveling from Driggs and Victor in Teton County, Idaho, as well as Teton County, Wyo., the county and Jackson, Wyo., two economies that are closely linked.

“Adding the parking lot and access road at the Victor Transit Center will be an economic asset to so many people in this area,” said William Knight, planning director for the City of Victor. “Being able to effectively accommodate more commuters will help minimize congestion on the road, making the daily or weekly trip a safer one.”

Riggins area receives grant to expand bus service
Riggins and the surrounding areas will receive $93,750 to expand the Canyon Area Bus Service (CABS) Inc., a grassroots non-profit project that serves Riggins and the surrounding areas. The existing one-day-a-week transportation service will be expanded to offer services Mondays through Fridays, as well as adding a one-stop mobility management office and transportation information center in Riggins.

Funds were not initially eligible to cover operating costs; however, as a result of District Coordinating Council cooperation, funds from Districts 2C and 3A were pooled to support the expansion of services – resulting in the total amount being allocated toward operating the expanded shuttle service.

CABS Inc. operates an on-demand response service for Riggins, Lucille, Pinehurst, Slate Creek and Whitebird, providing access, unavailable otherwise, to residents of those areas. The CABS service offers rides to McCall and Grangeville. The additional funding will allow CABS to expand service days to Grangeville, New Meadows, and McCall, and areas beyond allowing the service to better support the needs of and improve mobility for the primarily low-income, handicapped, and elderly people who utilize the CABS service.

Initial plans were for the project to be sponsored by the City of Riggins, since CABS is not yet a 501(c)(3) organization. Logistical obstacles resulted in the need to find another sponsor. Recently, Treasure Valley Transit came forward to fill the sponsor role.

"This partnership with TVT not only allows for the upgrading of our much-needed service, but also offers a chance for a transit provider with years of experience to mentor and promote a small, inexperienced rural provider that began on a shoestring to meet a growing need for its residents. I was also gratified to learn that the folks at TVT (and throughout the community planning network) really cared that our service should succeed,” said Linda Hieter of CABS.

Published 11-27-09