ASHTON – Through Aug. 30, the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) will be making safety improvements to the intersection of Idaho Highway 47 and US-20 through the city of Ashton.
Crews will install a flashing stoplight on ID-47 at the intersection, install rumble strips to alert drivers approaching the intersection, and the department will be reducing the speed limit on US-20 through Ashton from 45 mph to 35 mph. Future safety plans for the area include installing flashing school zone warning signs on US-20 through the city.
ITD first programmed a traffic signal at the intersection of US-20 and ID-47 at the request of the city. It was pushed back from 2020 to 2023, though, due to unforeseen issues during project design. Primary among those issues, the State Historical Preservation Office (SHPO) considers the Frostop Root Beer Sign(picture from East Idaho News) at that location to be historic, so ITD has been working directly with SHPO to ensure that impacts are mitigated as much as possible.
The eventual project is estimated to cost $1.5 million.