Relief planned for U.S. 95

By BRIAN WALKER

Staff Writer

COEUR d'ALENE — Several improvements are planned to help unclog U.S. 95.

The Idaho Transportation Department, 600 W. Prairie Ave., will hold an open house on Wednesday from 4 to 7 p.m. on $8.5 million in mobility improvements in the 8.9-mile corridor from Interstate 90 to Highway 53 that are slated to be constructed in 2019.

"One of the goals of the project is to adjust the existing traffic signal spacing to no less than a half mile," said CarrieAnn Hewitt, of the ITD.

The average daily traffic flow at the

intersection of U.S 95 and Kathleen in 2016 was about 41,000 vehicles per day with peak-hour flows at 5,120 vehicles per hour.

Hewitt said all of the traffic signals in the corridor will have an adaptive signal timing system unlike any other in the state.

"With the new technology, the signals will be able to adaptively adjust to the traffic flows and are expected to maximize the green time in each direction," Hewitt said.

The project is proposed to also include:

- removing existing traffic signals at Canfield and Bosanko

- adding signals at Wilbur and Miles

- extending Wilbur from U.S. 95 to Government Way

- adding a curbed median like the one constructed at Lacey at the intersections of Cherry, Haycraft, Bosanko, Canfield, Aqua, Orchard, Dakota and Boekel.

"The curbed median restricts crossing traffic, but allows left turns and right turns off of U.S. 95," Hewitt said. "The side streets at these locations will only be allowed to turn right onto U.S. 95."

Various combinations of additional through lanes or turn lanes from side streets onto U.S. 95 will be added at Neider, Kathleen, Dalton, Hanley, Wilbur and Prairie.

At Hayden Avenue, the eastbound right-turn lane turning southbound onto U.S. 95 will be improved. At Prairie and Kathleen avenues, a second southbound left-turn lane will be added that will direct traffic eastbound onto each side street.

"By removing signals, adding them at the appropriate spaces, adding turn lanes and minimizing conflict points with the addition of the curbed medians, the corridor is able to maximize the implementation of the adaptive signal timing," Hewitt said.

She said an additional bonus to the project will be upgrades to the existing bike path along the east side of U.S. 95.

The project is expected to go out to bid in October 2018.

The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded a $5.1 million grant to the ITD to fund most of the project. State gas tax revenue, ITD and the cities of Coeur d'Alene and Hayden will fund the remaining portion.

At the open house, project staff will be available to answer questions.

Comments on the improvement proposals can be emailed to carrieann.hewitt@itd.idaho.gov or mailed to Hewitt at Idaho Transportation Department, 600 W. Prairie Ave., Coeur d’Alene, ID 83815. For more information, call Hewitt at 772-1230 or visit http://bit.ly/2rFP3We.