Overview
SH-55 is part of the primary north-south corridor connecting Boise and Lewiston. Through downtown McCall, SH-55 functions as the city’s main street. Growth and increasing traffic through downtown have placed pressure on the route’s function as an efficient state highway.
This project focuses on determining the proper use of each roadway and designing improvements accordingly. One potential solution includes exchanging ownership of SH-55 and Deinhard/Boydstun, reducing traffic in downtown McCall.
Design and Timeline
Preliminary designs are being developed for improvements to existing SH-55 and Deinhard/Boydstun to support a potential corridor exchange and needs of travelers and the community.
A corridor exchange would keep pass-through freight and long-distance travelers out of downtown, improving efficiency and safety, and allowing for more walking and biking on Third and Lake streets. Many knowledgeable freight and through-travelers already utilize Deinhard/Boydstun as a route around the downtown. This potential change in ownership would ensure that funding and maintenance – especially winter maintenance – align with how the roads are currently being used.
By spring 2027, the project team will identify the costs and specific design elements needed to bring both roadways up to highway and city standards for the potential corridor exchange.
There is currently no identified funding for the roadway improvements for either corridor. Funding would need to be identified for future construction phases.
Community and Agency Engagement
Throughout spring 2025, ITD contacted corridor landowners, freight partners, and agencies, including the airport, to inform them about the project and gather early input. Several entities would need to approve the potential corridor exchange, including the Idaho Transportation Board, the city of McCall, and the Federal Highway Administration.
PUBLIC MEETINGS
A public meeting was held in August 2025 to provide an overview of potential project designs and gather public input.
- Visit the online, self-guided public meeting to view information shared as part of the outreach: SH55Deinhard-Boydstun.com.
- View the public meeting responses in the Frequently Asked Questions below or overview in this Public Meeting #1 Summary Report.
A second public meeting is anticipated to take place in late summer 2026.
Please use the button below to sign up for email updates and invitations to participate in the process.
Project Team
Frequently Asked Questions
Responses to frequently asked questions and common themes:
Yes, the project team considers access as a part of their design. Recently, a Traffic Impact Study (TIS) was completed as part of the city’s planning process for currently approved development off West Valley Road. This TIS determined that a dedicated southbound right turn lane will be needed from SH-55 onto West Valley Road to address current developments and housing and would be a future project funded by the developer. The project team reviewed the TIS in addition to consideration for intersection operations, growth rates, and site distance along Boydstun Street. Any future developments would be considered and studied at the time they are approved, should this project progress to a future design phase.
If the ownership and classification of the roadways are exchanged, the speed limit on Boydstun Street would remain 35 mph, and 3rd and Lake Streets would remain unchanged. The intention is to update the speed limit on Deinhard Lane from 25 mph to a consistent 35 mph, with appropriate design changes to safely allow this increase.
McCall’s current Pathways Master Plan designates Mission and Forest Streets as Bike Lanes through town. As part of this study, additional sidewalks and bike lanes are being considered for 3rd and Lake Streets. A future separated multiuse path on Deinhard Lane from West Valley Road to the Payette River bridge is currently being evaluated by the project team.
The project team studied the intersection to see if a signal was needed. Even with anticipated growth, a signal is not needed at the design year 2050 but an exclusive left-turn lane is recommended on the north leg.
Yes, as part of this project, a study was conducted to identify natural and built environmental resources to guide concept development and evaluation. The locations of these resources will be carefully documented through environmental analysis (National Environmental Policy Act).
The current project is funded through a federal RAISE grant that supports preliminary design work for a planning and design study for SH-55, Deinhard and Boydstun for ITD and the City of McCall. This includes a clear inventory and projected costs of updates needed for a potential corridor exchange. This initial phase of the project will conclude with this inventory and a preferred design recommendation in spring 2027. Future phases of the project are not currently funded. If future funding is secured, the project will then progress to final design and implementation. While some items (like signal timing recommendations) may be possible in the short term, the broader changes proposed typically take more than 5 to 7 years to progress through planning, design and construction phases.
The need for a noise analysis and any potential location of noise walls will be studied further if future phases of the project are funded.
Growth factors have been identified by our project team which include annual rates of:
- 2% growth on SH-55 west of town
- About 3% on SH-55 south of town
- About 1% per year in town.
These rates consider tourism’s influence on McCall’s growth. Additionally, the City of McCall is participating in the study and providing insight on development.
Yes, the project team will host an additional public meeting to share project updates, including a preferred preliminary design. This meeting is anticipated for late summer 2026.
The Purpose & Need of the SH-55 Deinhard/Boydstun project is to enhance highway safety and operations by:
- Improving the mobility of local, regional, and north-south intrastate travel and commerce for traffic through and around the downtown core of McCall
- Reducing travel time in and around McCall by traveling via the Deinhard/Boydstun corridor versus the existing SH-55 corridor
- Improving safety for all modes of travel by reducing conflict points between vehicles and pedestrians by the addition of signals and turn lanes at intersections
- Defining, designing, and prioritizing improvements to the proposed exchanging