Green light for Ramsey extension

Hayden City Council approves concept report

HAYDEN — After Tuesday's lengthy Hayden City Council meeting, the Ramsey Road extension concept report was approved.

"The approval was really just a next step," Hayden Mayor Steve Griffitts said Thursday. "There's going to be a lot of steps in the process."

A multi-page report presented by Hayden Public Works Director Sean Hoisington described the proposed routes that the extension could take while splitting the project into rural and urban phases that are mindful of residential, commercial, airport, sewer, traffic and funding impacts.

"I voted for it because one of the problems that exists is that on Ramsey, the queue length in that intersection is getting too long," said Hayden City Councilman Matt Roetter.

He said as Hayden is poised to grow north and west, the proposed arterial that Ramsey will grow into will reflect and accommodate for Hayden's expanding population. It will be an alternative north-south corridor between U.S. Highway 95 and Highway 41.

"This is going to help carry that load by extending Ramsey north," Roetter said, adding the project has much to do yet and won't happen overnight.

"It's not going to happen tomorrow," he said. "It's down the road. It's going to take a while."