Dangerous intersections, outdated bridges, congestion: ACHD preps for Boise-area growth
As the Treasure Valley's population swells, its roads are becoming busier.
With more cars, bikes and pedestrians, the Ada County Highway District is planning, and budgeting, for growth.
In the past five weeks, ACHD's Board of Commissioners approved two important documents that outline how the agency plans to address the boom: the agency's budget for 2025 and its five-year work plan.
As the November election nears, with competitive races for two of the five seats on the commission, the budget and five-year plan highlight areas to improve Ada County roads and goals for the agency.
The agency has identified nearly 1,500 projects since 2012 and has programmed 263 into the five-year plan, according to Shandy Lam, spokesperson for ACHD. Many of those projects only have concept, design or land acquisition planned in the next five years while others are set to finish before then.
An interactive map of the agency's projects for 2025-2029 and beyond can be found on the ACHD website (www.achidaho.org/home) if you hover over the "projects tab" and click on "maps."
The Idaho Statesman dove into the five-year plan and budget to highlight some of the biggest projects coming to the Treasure Valley in the next few years.
Bridging the gaps of Ada County
The biggest, most expensive projects the highway district is planning in the next few years involve the county's bridges.
Five bridge projects cost a total — on the low end — of more than $130.6 million. This includes an estimated $21 million to reconstruct the Fairview Avenue bridge between the Boise Connector and Main Street.
Fairview Avenue, which runs east where it enters downtown, is an important connector for Interstate 184 and Garden City and leads into Boise's Main Street past the new St. Luke's Health System Orthopedics Center. Over 12,500 vehicles traveled over the bridge per day in August, according to the Idaho Transportation Department .
The four-lane bridge is actually two bridges that were merged into one — one of which was built in 1932 in an art deco style and the other in 1976. The project would fix deficiencies in the combined bridge, fix pavement and provide access to the Greenbelt, according to a request for proposals from the Idaho Transportation Department.
ACHD is also estimating to spend $38.3 million to reconstruct the Eckert Road bridge that connects Southeast Boise to Harris Ranch and the Barber Valley. The bridge provides access to Barber Park, where thousands of Idahoans jump into rafts and tubes to float the Boise River every summer.
The most expensive bridge project, however, isn't in the state's largest city. Instead, it's the Swan Falls Road bridge in Kuna that crosses Union Pacific Railroad tracks and over Indian Creek into Linder Avenue and downtown Kuna. The price tag: $48 million.
ACHD would replace the two-lane bridge with a new four-lane bridge that goes over the railroad tracks and Indian Creek with pedestrian connectivity running underneath it similar to bridges on the Boise River Greenbelt, according to Lam.
"A bridge of this size will be expensive to build as well as the removal of the existing bridge and potential property impacts," Lam said by email. "This improvement will benefit Kuna connectivity and provide uninterrupted, safer access for first responders to the southern areas of Kuna."
The timelines for the Swan Falls road and Eckert road bridges have yet to be determined, according to ACHD. The agency is expecting to start the concepting phase for the Fairview Avenue bridge in the 2025-2026 fiscal year.
Downtown Boise upgrades highlight safety
The agency has several projects planned for downtown Boise, including a project with the city's urban renewal agency, the Capital City Development Corp., to improve Bannock Street.
Two blocks south of the traffic-heavy State Street, plans call for improving sidewalks, lighting and intersections from 16th to 12th streets. The two agencies are planning to add trees and greenery to the strip, which can feel barren on a hot summer day.
"The overall project goal is to create a pedestrian-friendly corridor that seamlessly connects the West Downtown neighborhood with the heart of downtown Boise," according to the urban renewal agency's website .
In 2026, ACHD is also planning to trim the number of lanes on State Street from 8th to 14th streets from four lanes to three lanes. In exchange, the agency would put in bigger sidewalks and protected turn lanes from Fanci Freez to the Capitol grounds, where traffic can often back up during rush hour as drivers wait to turn left.
Those changes to State Street come after several accidents involving pedestrians and bikers took place along that stretch last year. Vehicles hit four people at the 11th and State intersection. One of the people hit, a 79-year-old man from Boise, later died from his injuries .
The new State Street would tie into the proposed redevelopment of three-city blocks south of Boise High School that would bring a new YMCA, a parking garage and several apartment buildings.
Changes coming to downtown Meridian
If you live, work or play near downtown Meridian, you may need to find different routes around town in the coming year.
The district plans to repave and rebuild several streets adjacent to the downtown core in 2025 from roughly Meridian City Hall to the busy Fairview Avenue corridor.
The improvements include fixing deteriorating sidewalks and gaps in pavement, installing pedestrian ramps and adding crosswalk markings and bulb-outs — which extend the corners of curbs and reduce the street width, which can help slow traffic and increase walker visibility.
The nearly $10.3 million project would stretch across Idaho Avenue from 8th Street to Meridian Road; up 4th Street from Broadway to Maple avenues west of Meridian Elementary School; along Cherry Avenue and up 2nd Street to Fairview Avenue. Broadway Avenue will also see some changes east of Main Street.
ACHD is also planning to tackle Washington Street, which runs north of Meridian Elementary School, from 7th Street to the post office on Main Street.
What's going on with downtown Eagle's construction?
The highway district started work on downtown Eagle's road work earlier this year and will continue that effort into 2025.
The project's first phase sought to expand the intersection of Eagle Road and Plaza Drive, between the Walgreens and Albertsons, and add a new traffic signal at the intersection of State and 2nd streets, according to ACHD .
The second phase is set to add improvements to several roads and streets in the area, including on Eagle Road, Plaza Drive, Olde Park Place and along State, Aikens and 2nd streets. Continued work could bring temporary road and lane closures, parking restrictions and dust.
The goal of all the construction is to improve safety and mobility for pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers with the region's projected growth, according to a news release.
"The Eagle Road and State Street intersection is the gateway to the city of Eagle and an important part of the downtown core," according to the news release. "As a gateway, it serves vehicles, bicyclists and pedestrians of all ages who want to access local businesses, neighborhoods, the elementary school and the senior center."
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