Overview
The Idaho Transportation Department and Garden City are developing a concept plan along Chinden Boulevard (U.S. Highway 20/26). While the project’s primary goal is to address drainage issues, ITD and Garden City are also exploring ways to make the area safer for walking and biking.
Background
The Chinden Boulevard corridor lacks modern safety features and adequate stormwater controls, leading to pooling and flooding near private property. To address these issues, ITD and Garden City are developing a roadway concept plan to support walking, biking, and driving, as well as proper drainage. The concept plan will explore ways to improve stormwater collection and direct runoff away from roads and nearby structures. Together, these efforts will form an integrated corridor plan that guides future development and identifies specific projects for planning, design, and construction.
Community Input
Public involvement is important to the success of this project. Opportunities for public comment will be available through ITD’s website and during online meetings.
April 2026 Online Meeting:
Join online April 9 through 23 to see the updated design plans and learn how public feedback shaped the project.
Summer 2025 Online Meeting:
ITD hosted an online meeting to gather early public input. Participants had the chance to review and comment on initial concepts focused on improving safety and stormwater management.
Public feedback from the first meeting supported safety and drainage improvements but highlighted concerns about interrupting traffic flow, losing direct access to businesses, and protecting nearby waterways. Based on public feedback, ITD updated the design concepts, including removing the previously proposed center median, refining stormwater treatments, replacing free right-turn lanes with yield-controlled designs to reduce conflict points, and adjusting pedestrian crossings to balance safety and traffic flow.
A summary of that meeting is available in the resources tab at the bottom of this webpage.
We Heard You
The public provided 63 comments during the first meeting. Overall, people appreciated ITD and Garden City’s efforts to address drainage issues and improve pedestrian and vehicle safety along Chinden Boulevard.
In 2025, the public shared the following feedback:
Action:Where possible, stormwater treatments were revised to filter contaminants and manage runoff on site through infiltration trenches, bioswales, and other collection strategies. The number of new outfalls (i.e., discharge points) to irrigation drains was also reduced.
Action:The updated design reduces the number of signalized crossings along the corridor.
Action:Center medians have been removed from the design, allowing drivers to make left turns to access businesses.
Action:The project proposes converting the free right-turn lanes at Glenwood Street and Orchard Street to yield-controlled lanes to slow vehicles, eliminate merging conflicts, and reduce crash severity.
Response: ITD and Garden City are reviewing closely spaced driveways, especially those near intersections, because they can increase crashes and slow traffic. Discussions with property owners will continue. The proposed changes are conceptual and no final decisions have been made.
Project Schedule
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Fall 2024
Data Collection:
Gather information from existing and new sources to identify the improvements needed in the project area. -
Summer 2025
Design draft corridor concepts:
Develop initial ideas for improving the corridor. -
Summer 2025
Online Public Meeting 1:
Share project information with the community and gather their input. -
Summer 2025
Revise corridor concepts:
Update the corridor improvement ideas based on community feedback and new information -
Winter 2025
Refine design:
Incorporate information gathered from the public and refine the design. -
Spring 2026
Online Public Meeting 2:
Share updated project information with the community and gather any additional input. -
Spring 2026
Draft project descriptions and estimates:
Develop recommendations and estimate costs for future projects.