Overview
With increasing congestion on US-95, the time has come to change how drivers access the highway from Lakeshore Drive. The median U-turn built in 2023 was designed to support this transition, and growing traffic volumes now make it necessary to restrict left turns to improve safety.
Median U-Turn
In spring of 2026 the Idaho Transportation Department will construct a raised median at the intersection of U.S. Highway 95 and Lakeshore Drive that will require all traffic accessing the highway to initially make a right turn and merge with southbound traffic.
By eliminating the option for left turns, drivers wishing to travel north towards Sandpoint will use the median U-turn, or J-turn, constructed in 2023, to safely turn around and merge into northbound traffic.
This change will also restrict drivers from crossing US-95 to get to Lakewood Avenue. These drivers will now follow the same route using the J-turn to return to Lakewood Avenue.
Northbound drivers on US-95 will still be able to use the center turn lane to turn left onto Lakeshore Drive; this project will only affect traffic leaving Lakeshore Drive to access the highway.
While an exact start date is still being finalized, work is expected to begin in April or May, with a goal of completing the project before Memorial weekend, which typically marks the beginning of the busy summer travel season.
ITD is also exploring options on the east side of US-95 for preventing drivers from using private business parking lots and side streets as an unofficial turnaround.
Traffic in this area often becomes congested, especially during peak times, as lines of vehicles exit the Long Bridge and funnel through the intersection. Drivers attempting left turns frequently wait for extended periods, which can create backups and increase pressure to make risky decisions. Queued vehicles waiting to turn left can also block drivers trying to use the J-turn. This leads to delays, confusion, and frequent near misses.
Requiring all traffic to turn right will create a more consistent traffic pattern.
History
As part of a larger, nearly $9 million safety improvement plan for the US-95 corridor, which also included the Sagle Road signal, ITD completed construction of the median U-turn in 2023 to address a history of near misses and crashes caused by drivers attempting to cross traffic.
While restricting left turns was always part of the long-term safety plan, drivers were initially allowed to continue making direct left turns when gaps in traffic permitted. With traffic volumes increasing since 2023, and with support from local transportation partner agencies in Bonner County, that option will now be removed as part of this safety improvement.
Contact the project team
For questions or comments about this project, please contact the project team at (208) 772-1200.