US-95 Palouse Region Study

Yes, both safety and spot improvements are being considered. As a result of community outreach for this study and the SH-8 Traffic Study, several projects have already been programmed by ITD: 

• New traffic signal at Mountain View Drive and SH-8 
• Little Bear Creek Bridge in Troy 
• In partnership with the City of Moscow, a new crosswalk near Gritman Medical Center and sidewalks at the US-95 and SH-8 intersection 

We heard from the public specific locations including Phillips Farm Park, Pine Crest, and Waste Transfer Station access. These, along with others, will be studied through the on-alignment improvements passed through Level 2 screening. The study team will continue to analyze a range of options including: 

• Passing lanes 

• Turn lanes 

• Roadway signage 

• Wildlife movement 

• Geometric improvements 

• Signal improvements 

• Urban walking and biking improvements 

ITD and Latah County have additional ongoing studies and design and construction projects that may overlap with our study areas. Those projects may be found here: Latah County Projects, 2024–Early Development. Visit itd.idaho.gov/projects/ for information about all ITD projects. 

You have a few options for learning about crashes in the study area:

• You can visit: itd.aashtowaresafety.net/itd-safety-dashboards. Once there, you can filter by crash type and district. The US-95 study is located in ITD District 2.
• If you  have specific questions or concerns, please reach out to info@us95sh8.com

Comments made during public meeting comment periods regarding roadway maintenance, including de-icer, sign locations, and vegetation on the roadside, are shared with our District 2 Maintenance Team. You can also reach out via email to: PublicComments@itd.idaho.gov.

The US-95 study is centrally located in the Palouse Region of Idaho. The team is studying environmental resource categories for the study area and considering this data as part of the PEL process, including: 

• Visual
• Agricultural and forest
• Air quality
• Biological
• Cultural
• Geology and soils
• Hazards and hazardous materials
• Hydrology and water quality
• Land use and transportation planning
• Noise
• Social and economics
• Palouse Prairie Remnants

Environmental data is collected through field surveys and analyzed by subject matter experts. Environmental agencies are consulted as needed. 

Active transportation refers to human-powered mobility including walking, riding a bike, using an e-scooter, or rolling a wheelchair. It can also include facilities to promote or support these activities like walking to rideshare or other forms of public transportation.

In addition to the Active Transportation Workshop conducted in the fall of 2023, our study team continues to consider the safety and needs of those who walk, roll, and bike.

Bike and pedestrian mobility have been an important consideration throughout the study process. The study is evaluating how potential alternative route concepts could affect existing and future bicycle and pedestrian connections, including access to neighborhoods, schools, parks, downtown Moscow, the University of Idaho, and regional trail systems. 

As alternatives are developed and screened, the study team will identify opportunities to improve safety, connectivity, and multimodal travel accommodations. This may include recommendations for new or enhanced sidewalks, shared-use paths, crossings, bicycle facilities, or connections to planned local and regional networks. ITD does not require every highway to include sidewalks or bike lanes, but it does require that bike and pedestrian needs be evaluated during project development and incorporated where appropriate for the roadway context and function. 

The study will also coordinate with local and regional transportation plans, community goals, and stakeholder input to help ensure that future transportation improvements support safe and accessible travel options for all users, not just motorists. This includes not precluding multimodal options that may be planned or built by others.  

Economic impacts — including potential effects on downtown Moscow businesses, customer access, and local connectivity — are an important consideration throughout the study process. Additionally, supporting safety and mobility, and economic opportunity in the downtown Moscow community is an important part of this study.  

From the study’s Purpose & Need through each level of screening, the study team is evaluating a range of factors related to economic and community impacts alongside traffic flow, safety, and regional connectivity. This includes assessing how potential corridor concepts could affect access to businesses, travel patterns, freight movement, and the overall function of downtown Moscow. 

The new corridor concepts being studied are intended to improve regional mobility by reducing through-traffic congestion in downtown Moscow, particularly for travelers who are not stopping locally. By shifting some regional trips away from downtown streets, the study team anticipates improved access, circulation, and reliability for local users, customers, employees, and deliveries within the downtown area. 

The economic study completed as part of the PEL and NEPA process would evaluate the potential effects of the proposed alternative route on surrounding communities, including the community with modified highway access. The analysis would consider factors such as changes in traffic patterns and access, potential effects on local businesses and economic activity, property and land use impacts, regional growth and development trends, and potential changes in community connectivity. The study would rely on progressively more detailed traffic, demographic, land use, and economic data as the project advances through future phases. 

Available research and case studies developed by Federal Highways Administration (FHWA) and state transportation agencies indicate that alternative highway routes do not uniformly result in long-term adverse economic impacts to communities with modifications to highway access. Studies have found that while some highway-oriented businesses may experience changes in travel patterns, overall community economic vitality is often influenced more heavily by local and regional population, resident activity, destination travel, land use, and broader economic conditions. 

The results of the analysis, together with stakeholder coordination and public input, would help inform the evaluation and refinement of alternatives and identify opportunities to avoid, minimize, or mitigate potential adverse community and economic impacts. 

Before identifying potential improvements, the study team worked with tribes, agencies, stakeholders, and the public to define the transportation issues that need to be addressed and to help shape the goals the study should try to solve. The Purpose & Need statement guides the development and evaluation of potential solutions throughout the study. In summary, this study is focused on addressing existing and future traffic congestion, improving safety and freight mobility, and enhancing travel options, where appropriate, for people walking, biking, and driving along the corridor.  

The US-95 Palouse Region Study is following the Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) process (see Schedule graphic above) to streamline planning and environmental decision-making in preparation for future environmental reviews, such as the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review.  

This PEL process includes three screening levels as part of the central task of evaluating and refining the alternatives: 

Level 1: Screened concepts for Purpose & Need and feasibility. The study team used generalized land use, planning, geotechnical, roadway engineering, traffic, safety, and environmental data. Concepts that did not meet Purpose & Need or that had a fatal flaw (an impact or combination of impacts that prohibit a concept from being built) were eliminated. Level 1 screening concluded in 2025, and the results can be seen in the Level 1 Screening Pamphlet.  

Level 2: Compared concepts using qualitative and quantitative planning-level data and results include either Carried Forward, Eliminated, or Not Recommended concepts.  

1. Gathered Data. The study team gathered and analyzed refined datasets for each concept, including traffic analysis.​​​​ 

2. Performed Comparative Analysis. The study team used the data to compare each concept’s performance against the others, evaluating how well each concept met the study’s Purpose & Need, feasibility, and goals while considering benefits and impacts. 

The Level 2 screening concluded in 2026, and the results can be seen in the Level 2 Screening Pamphlet. 

Level 3: Now, we will analyze concepts using performance measures to refine recommendations. Concepts carried forward from Level 2 will be refined to avoid and minimize impacts while meeting roadway design, operational, and traffic needs. This will take place in the coming months and a public meeting to share those findings is anticipated in late 2026.  

At the conclusion of this study anticipated for early 2027, the US-95 study team may propose short- and long-term improvements that, if funded, could progress through a NEPA process. These may include multiple reasonable concepts that will be called alternatives in later phases. General timelines for next steps, including opportunities for current or future funding, will be determined with the final recommendation of improvements. 

However, several near-term projects, identified as a result of community outreach for this study and the SH-8 Traffic Study, have already been programmed by ITD: 

• New traffic signal at Mountain View Drive and SH-8 

• Pedestrian improvements with the Little Bear Creek Bridge Replacement in Troy 

• In partnership with the City of Moscow, a new crosswalk near Gritman Medical Center and sidewalks at the US-95 and SH-8 intersection 

ITD and Latah County have additional ongoing studies and design and construction projects that may overlap with our study areas. Those projects may be by visiting Latah County Projects, 2024–Early Development. Visit itd.idaho.gov/projects/ for information about all ITD projects. 

The concepts for the study were developed through engagement with stakeholders and the public during 2023 and 2024, including a public meeting in April 2024, and informed by previous planning work by ITD and the City of Moscow. Community members contributed their perspectives and ideas for transportation solutions, resulting in hundreds of suggestions that informed the development of concepts. The study team applied engineering best practices and incorporated additional data, including traffic, environmental, and public feedback.

Traffic analysts examined conditions in 2023 and projected future scenarios for 2050 without any changes. In the initial evaluation phase, the team assessed whether the screened concepts would meet the project’s Purpose & Need. In the subsequent phases, more detailed data, including traffic data, has been and will continue to be collected and analyzed for each concept that passes the each screening level. This approach allows the team to compare the benefits of each concept effectively. Delaying the detailed traffic analysis is strategic, enabling the study team to concentrate on concepts that align with the criteria at each screening level. The public can anticipate more detailed information on the concepts as the study advances.

Given the economic and geographic connections between Pullman and Moscow, the study team is focusing on routes that could connect in Washington and will continue to collaborate with FHWA, Whitman County, and WSDOT to assess the feasibility of these options.

This PEL study is the first step to developing a list of users’ needs and identifying the future configuration of US-95. The US-95 PEL Study is being developed pursuant to 23 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 450.212 (a)-(c), 23 CFR 450.318 (a)-(d), 23 United States Code (U.S.C.) 168 (d), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) regulations, and ITD procedures regarding incorporation of the results of transportation planning studies as part of the overall project development process consistent with National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969. The results of the PEL study are intended to be adopted or incorporated by reference into future NEPA processes.

Future environmental clearance processes will be prepared in accordance with the requirements of NEPA, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321, et seq.), 23 U.S.C. 139, CEQ regulations implementing NEPA (40 CFR 1500-1508), FHWA regulations implementing NEPA (23 CFR 771.101-771.139),and applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations.

Planning products may be adopted or incorporated by reference by an agency conducting an environmental review (e.g., an Environmental Assessment [EA], Environmental Impact Statement [EIS], or other documentation) to meet NEPA requirements if (1) the legal conditions for the PEL study are met during the transportation planning product development and (2) the planning products meet PEL authority and NEPA requirements. Section 168 defines planning products to include Purpose and Need statements, preliminary screening of alternatives, elimination of unreasonable alternatives, and other planning decisions and analysis. 

The study is still ongoing. In Level 3, the study team will continue to refine concepts that passed through Level 2 screenings and improve them to: 

• Focus on the highest-performing intersection locations along SH-8 and US-95. 

• Connect the refined intersection locations identified as top performers in the density analysis. 

• Eliminate redundant or lower-performing combinations.  

• Reduce corridor length where possible to increase efficiency and reduce impacts. 

• Minimize property and environmental impacts while preserving congestion relief potential. 

Criteria and scoring for Level 2 may be found here, Level 2 Evaluation Scoring, where you can see the categories along the top and the scoring per concept to understand the considerations that drove the rankings.  

As part of the project development process for the PEL study Level 2 Screening and data collection (and future studies), the study team considered the potential for each concept to: 

• Avoid and minimize property impacts 

• Minimize property impact costs 

• Support local and regional planning efforts 

• Connect with future projects 

• Provide ease of implementation,​ including permitting, construction complexity, and duration 

• Proceed with phased implementation  

In Level 3, the study team will continue to review concepts that passed through Level 2 screenings and refine them by the criteria described in Question 3, which includes minimizing property impacts. The study team recognizes that a new highway corridor through currently undeveloped areas has the potential for impacts. We’ll evaluate neighborhood, property, environmental, and community impacts as we develop and refine alternatives through the PEL and any future NEPA process. Detailed studies and coordination with agencies, property owners, stakeholders, and the public will guide decisions that meet the project’s Purpose & Need while avoiding and minimizing impacts as much as practicable. Public input will continue throughout future phases.  

Ultimately, potentially affected property owners are consulted during ITD’s right of way process that typically occurs during the design process of a project. At the conclusion of this study, anticipated for early 2027, the US-95 study team may propose short- and long-term improvements that, if funded, would progress through a NEPA process before reaching the design phase. General timelines for next steps, including opportunities for current or future funding, will be determined with the final recommendation of improvements. 

During the interview process in the earliest phase of these studies, community leaders and technical experts were asked to help identify working group members who could bring a wealth of specialized knowledge to the table. Their expertise and leadership enable them to offer invaluable insights that help shape the direction and success of the study. 

The Community Working Group includes representatives from local, state, and tribal governments; educational institiutions; emergency services; businesses; non-profit and community organizations; and active transportation groups. The Technical Advisory Committee includes government agencies, airport, utilities, and transportation experts. 

The working groups serve in a collaborative role to ITD to help identify community values and a vision for transportation in the area. Members of the groups also provide feedback on possible outcomes for the study. 

Community values and perceptions are an important piece of data for a PEL. Public comments are reviewed by our study team including engineers and decision makers. A summary document will be created and published for each round of public meetings with all comments available for review (with personal information redacted).

We also gather and consider:

• Existing roadway conditions data in the corridors
• Traffic and crash data
• Environmental resource data
• Existing community and regional plans

These data sets, together with engineering best practices, can help our team identify transportation problems and possible solutions. To date, public feedback has been gathered and incorporated as possible during the development of the draft Purpose & Need statement, concept development, and Level 1 and 2 screening processes. The public has been invited to share ideas and provide feedback at three sets of public meetings.  

The feedback was then overlayed with engineering data as the team continued to work towards solutions that align with the Purpose & Need, feasibility, and study goals. The final evaluation phase is anticipated for fall 2026 and will include a public meeting to share and gather feedback on Level 3 findings.