Category: North

 

Since mid-September, drivers in North Idaho may have noticed a change to late-night driving on U.S. Highway 95 through Coeur d’Alene. Previously, signals through the corridor used to flash yellow or red during late night hours to allow drivers already on the highway more mobility while traffic volumes were low. That pattern is no more, having been replaced by a detection and activation system designed to improve safety and prioritize northbound and southbound traffic flow.

“There are a variety of factors that influenced this change,” said Damon Allen, the district engineer for the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD). “The primary driving factor behind this change is safety.”

In recent years local law enforcement agencies have reported an uptick in late night near-miss crashes at signalized intersections with more drivers entering US-95 from side streets failing to yield.

“If you look at the data, moving away from any sort of nighttime flash pattern is trending nationwide, and the reason is safety,” Allen said.

According to ITD Engineer Manager Lee Bernardi who oversees the traffic section, problems arose from drivers on side streets not realizing that northbound and southbound traffic on US-95 had a flashing yellow light, rather than a flashing red. Signals are not designed for other-directional traffic to be able to see the lit color, so it’s understandable for a driver attempting to cross US-95 with a flashing red to assume opposing traffic also has a flashing red, and would treat it as a four-way stop rather than yielding to oncoming vehicles.

Bernardi continued, “As drivers, we’re conditioned to treat flashing red lights one way, and flashing yellow lights entirely differently. Maintaining complex intersections that combine these two conflicting behaviors, coupled with the amount of growth this area has seen in recent years, it’s logical to transition to a solution that eliminates assumptions on the part of motorists.”

In addition, updating to a nighttime activation system will keep the corridor uniform with the functionality of other signals throughout the area managed by local highway districts and cities.

“It makes sense for drivers to have the same expectations on all primary roadways in the area regardless of jurisdiction or time of day, and eliminating the nighttime flash on US-95 through Coeur d’Alene does exactly that,” said Allen.

The good news for drivers is that, despite this recent change, there should be a relatively low impact to their late-night mobility. Thanks to recent radar and detection equipment upgrades at every intersection along US-95 between Interstate 90 and Lancaster Road, each signal can operate independently of timing cycles and relies simply on a ‘see it and serve it’ strategy.

Each night, when the signals change over to the activation schedule, northbound and southbound lights are designed to rest on green, prioritizing the primary flow of traffic. Typically, the only time the flow of US-95 should be interrupted is when the signals detect either turning or cross-street traffic waiting at an intersection. The lights will quickly transition to serve those waiting vehicles and then get right back to green, rather than having to wait through a timing cycle for each lane. Likewise, cross street traffic should notice a decrease in wait times to get through an intersection.

“Our primary goal is to keep traffic moving,” said Allen. “We want drivers to remember that we are also in the business of efficiency, while maintaining a balance between mobility and safety for everyone on the road.”

The Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) will host an open house next week in Post Falls to present two design alternatives for the Post Falls area as part of the I-90 corridor study. Preliminary design alternatives include options to increase capacity and mobility in the Post Falls area, while modernizing the interstate’s infrastructure that was originally built in the 1960s and 1970s.

Open House Details

Date: Thursday, October 5

Time: 4 p.m. – 7 p.m.

Location: The Jacklin Arts & Cultural Center

405 N William St, Post Falls, ID 83854

“ITD received valuable feedback from the public and area stakeholders at our first open house last year. Our team has integrated that feedback into two modified alternative designs that use different approaches to improve congestion, mobility, and safety,” ITD Project Manager Erika Bowen said. “Our goal is to connect with the citizens of Post Falls to discuss these revised options and gather feedback on which alternative or features of the alternatives best improves travel for residents and businesses alike.”

The open house will feature two design alternatives adapted from the designs previously shared for public feedback in November 2022. Feedback collected in this round of public engagement will be used for an ongoing update to the master transportation plan for the city of Post Falls. Until additional funding is identified to complete the remaining analysis from Washington state line to State Highway 41, the corridor study through the Post Falls area will be on hold.

For those not able to attend the open house, an online option will share the same information and be available on October 5 at itdprojects.org/i90corridor. Comments submitted online before October 19 will be considered by the project team.

The I-90 corridor study is funded as part of Governor Little’s Leading Idaho initiative. The program allows ITD to accelerate project timelines to address rapid growth and build critical infrastructure today that would otherwise take many years to fund and build. Preliminary estimates value the improvements needed for I-90 between Washington state line and Coeur d’Alene at nearly $1 billion, which includes design, right of way and construction costs.

To stay up to date on the I-90 corridor project, visit itdprojects.org/i90corridor and sign up for email updates.

Beginning Monday, crews plan to begin a two-week daytime paving operation on U.S. Highway 95 between Labrosse Rd and Eisenhower St in Bonners Ferry.

The most significant impacts are anticipated to be between Sept 18-28 when the continuous paving work will temporarily affect business and side road access while the asphalt mat is laid and cured in front of driveways. This process typically takes one to two hours and alternate access routes will need to be used during these times.

Throughout construction traffic will remain one lane in each direction with flaggers assisting to allow truck access.

This operation will be very dynamic and subject to change to accommodate unforeseen circumstances, but we are doing our best to stay on schedule and minimize traffic impacts. Significant closures, delays or changes will be broadcast via roadside electronic messaging boards staged throughout the work zone. Please pay attention to local signage or refer to Idaho 511 for real-time updates. You may also subscribe to updates on the project website page.

As always, we urge drivers to slow down through work zones and use caution for the safety of all. Drivers should also watch for large trucks entering or exiting the construction site.

We appreciate your patience through this project and look forward to delivering a newly improved roadway to the community with an anticipated construction completion date set for mid-October!

BONNERS FERRY – Starting on Wednesday September 13, ITD crews will begin a 1 to 2-day repair project on the approaches to the Naples Bridge located along U.S. Highway 95 near milepost 497 in Boundary County.

Work is scheduled to begin at 6:30 am and end at 4:00 pm each day. During this time traffic will be reduced to one lane in either direction, utilizing flagging crews to alternate opposing directions of traffic safely through the work zone. Travelers should expect delays, especially during peak commute times, and plan accordingly.

Once completed drivers can expect to observe a noticeable improvement in smoothness as they travel across the bridge, improving safety and protecting the integrity of the roadway surface through the coming winter months.

 

BONNERS FERRY- Starting this afternoon drivers along U.S. Highway 95 near McArthur Lake will notice that access at the southern McArthur Lake Rd approach has been restricted. The temporary left turn lane traffic shift does not safely accommodate the southern approach. Motorists should utilize the northern access for all McArthur Lake Rd travel. This access restriction will be in effect until the fall of 2024.

Drivers can sign up for project email updates here or get real-time traffic impact updates on any Idaho roadway at Idaho 511.

 

The Idaho Transportation Department will host an open house next week in Coeur d’Alene to present designs to modernize I-90 between State Highway 41 and 15^th Street. Plans are funded by Governor Little’s Leading Idaho initiative and include adding lanes to increase capacity on I-90 and modernizing infrastructure like interchanges that were originally built with the interstate in the 1960s and 1970s.

Details for the open house:

Date: Tuesday, August 22

Time: 4 p.m. – 7 p.m.

Location: Best Western Plus Coeur d’Alene Inn

506 West Appleway Avenue, Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814

The open house will feature designs from two projects: the overarching corridor study that will determine what the scope of improvements are between SH-41 and 15^th Street and the design for widening I-90 from SH-41 to U.S. Highway 95.

For those not able to attend the open house, an online option will share the same information and be available on August 22 at itdprojects.org/i90corridor. Comments submitted online before September 5 will be considered by the project team.

“Throughout the study, we have heard repeatedly that we need to make I-90 safer and more reliable by increasing capacity to address congestion,” Project Manager Erika Bowen said. “With a nearly 16-mile corridor to improve, we are moving forward with the study in the Coeur d’Alene area while simultaneously advancing the most congested section between SH-41 and US-95 to final design. This model of breaking the corridor into smaller projects will help to improve travel for residents where it is needed most, while we complete design plans and obtain funding for the rest of the corridor.”

The open house will feature both information on the larger corridor study and design plans to widen the most congested section between SH-41 and US-95. The design project is the first project to come out of the concurrent I-90 corridor study and is anticipated to begin construction in 2024.

The open house will not provide updates on other sections of the study, including the Post Falls area. With limited funding identified for the corridor, projects will be prioritized for design and construction based on traffic analysis and project readiness. Corridor-wide improvements are anticipated to take 10 to 20 years to build.

The I-90 corridor study is funded by Governor Little’s Leading Idaho initiative. The program allows ITD to accelerate project timelines to address rapid growth and build critical infrastructure today that would otherwise take many years to fund and build. Preliminary estimates value the improvements needed for I-90 between Washington state line and Coeur d’Alene at nearly $1 billion, which includes design, right of way and construction costs.

To stay up to date on the I-90 corridor project, visit itdprojects.org/i90corridor and sign up for email updates.

Construction will begin Monday on State Highway 53 in Rathdrum to add a center turn lane in city limits. Once complete in 2024, the center turn lane will keep through traffic moving while providing other drivers a safe area to wait while trying to turn.

All lanes will remain open during construction, but the speed limit will be reduced to 25 mph. Drivers can expect minimal impacts during this first year of construction as crews replace a culvert for Rathdrum Creek and build ditches to help with drainage. Widening to add a center turn lane won’t start until next year.

“Although this project won’t be as impactful out of the gate, drivers should still plan extra time as there are several other work zones on SH-53,” Project Manager Steven Bakker said.

Commuters on SH-53 will continue to encounter reduced speeds in other work zones near Rathdrum, including widening efforts to the west near Hauser and intersection improvements at Ramsey Road to the east.

Travelers are reminded to check 511.idaho.gov to stay up to date on construction delays.

Impacts will change beginning Monday, August 7, in the work zone to upgrade the I-90 and State Highway 41 Interchange in Post Falls as work shifts to Seltice Way. The $78 million project is funded through Governor Little’s Leading Idaho program and is in its second year of construction.

Changes to traffic impacts include:

• Only one eastbound lane on Seltice Way will be open between Herborn Place and Ross Point Road. It will be shared by both through and turning traffic. This is expected to increase congestion for drivers heading north on SH-41 or east on I-90.
• Two westbound lanes on Seltice Way will be open between Herborn Place and Ross Point Road. Those lanes will be shared by both through and turning traffic.
• Two new temporary signals at the intersections of Seltice Way with Herborn Place and Ross Point Road will be turned on early next week. The permanent signals in the area will be deactivated and removed.
• Drivers will not be able to access Seltice Way from Herborn Place for the next two months.
• Left turns from Ross Point Road onto Seltice Way will be prohibited.

Drivers will still be able to access the freeway but should plan for congestion.

“Next week is a major shift in impacts and really the first time we will be closing lanes on Seltice Way,” Project Manager Shannon Stein said. “Travelers will still be able to access local businesses on the route.”

Bicycle and pedestrian pathways will remain open with occasional detours when necessary.

This phase of work on Seltice Way is expected to be complete by the fall of 2023. Crews will transition back Seltice Way to align it with the new I-90/SH 41 Interchange later in construction.

Crews continue to build temporary and permanent bridges on I-90. All construction is anticipated to be done in 2025. To learn about the future I-90/SH-41 interchange and how it will function, watch this video.

To stay informed on regularly scheduled nighttime closures, sign up for updates by emailing info@i90corridor.com or visit itdprojects.org/i90sh41ic for more information. Live traffic impacts can also be found at 511.idaho.gov.

Governor Little’s Leading Idaho initiative allowed the project to begin one year earlier than expected and has enabled ITD to address rapid growth and build critical infrastructure today across the state that would otherwise take many years to fund and build.