Project Number: A009(968)
Key Number: 09968

The Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) is studying U.S. 95 from the Idaho border in Owyhee County to Pinehurst at the Adams / Idaho County line. The study will result in a corridor plan that identifies important improvement projects over the next 20 years.

U.S. 95 runs north to south through western Idaho. It provides an important north-south international transportation link for long-haul freight between Mexico and Canada.

Within the Idaho Transportation Department's District 3 boundaries, the highway covers 203 miles from Pinehurst in Adams County to the Oregon stateline south of Marsing in Owyhee County. Recreational travelers and local traffic share the road with long-haul trucks, straining the roadway capacity as surface transportation demand continues to grow.

The completed corridor plan will include an analysis of the existing conditions on the highway; a forecast of future demand over the next 20 years; and a list of short and long-term improvements on how to improve transportation on this section of U.S. 95. The document will address the course of the highway as a whole and on a county by county basis. The plan will be based on community input, engineering analysis, and city, county and agency visions for the future. ITD will include the plan in its Idaho Horizons Long Range Capital Improvement and Preservation Program (LRCIP). LRCIP is a planning document that helps ITD prioritize projects for future years.

The finished corridor plan will address:

• Safety: What are the improvements that will make U.S. 95 safer for motorists, pedestrians and residents?
• Access Management: How can ITD and local communities manage the effect of development along the corridor so the roadway continues to function safely and efficiently?
• Traffic: Can we anticipate congestion points and plan for the best ways to improve traffic flow and capacity throughout the corridor?
• Environment: What are the important environmental issues to consider when ITD seeks to make improvement to U.S. 95 in the future?

Planning participation by the community and others who use the U.S. 95 route is critical to the study's success. ITD will host public meetings and workshops in five locations along the corridor. Meeting dates will be posted to this Web site in advance.

ITD encourages you to submit comments at any time during the study process. Written comments may be e-mailed to comments@itd.idaho.gov or mailed to: Idaho Transportation Department, P.O. Box 7129 in Boise, ID 83707-1129.

The U.S. 95 corridor study began in 2007 and is expected to be completed in fall of 2009.

ITD Office of Communications
(208) 334-4444
comments@itd.idaho.gov

The Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) is committed to compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and all related regulations and directives. ITD assures that no person shall on the grounds of race, color, national origin, gender, age, or disability be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be otherwise subjected to discrimination under any ITD service, program, or activity. The department also assures that every effort will be made to prevent discrimination through the impacts of its programs, policies, and activities on minority and low-income populations. In addition, the department will take reasonable steps to provide meaningful access to services for persons with Limited English Proficiency.