'It’s like we’re living in California'

COEUR d’ALENE — Don Bradway is all for widening Interstate 90 from Highway 41 to U.S. 95.

It’s needed, will make a big difference and improve traffic flow, the Hayden man said.

But patience is a must.

“It’s going to be a tremendous inconvenience for a number of people, but we have to look down the line,” he said Tuesday.

“We need this stuff. We’re going to be inconvenienced but it needs to be done," Bradway said. "Better now than 10 years down the line when things are even worse. Everybody is harping about traffic. They’re doing something about it.”

Bradway was one of many who attended the Idaho Transportation Department’s three-hour open house at the Best Western Plus Coeur d’Alene Inn on two projects: the overarching corridor study that will determine what the scope of improvements are between Highway 41 and 15th Street, and the design for widening I-90 from Highway 41 to U.S. 95.

Corridorwide improvements are anticipated to take 10 to 20 years to build.

The 5-mile stretch from Highway 41 to U.S. 95 is one of the most heavily traveled and congested corridors in the state, according to ITD. It is projected to go to four lanes from two lanes in each direction.

The project will also replace and widen bridges over Huetter Road, Atlas Road and Prairie Trail; realign impacted sections of Prairie Trail and the North Idaho Centennial Trail; and lengthen existing interchange on- and-off-ramps to allow for safer merging with I-90 traffic.

Construction is expected to begin next summer and take about three years to complete.

Preliminary estimates value the widening improvements at about $180 million to $200 million, ITD said.

The improvements needed for I-90 between Washington state line and Coeur d’Alene are estimated at nearly $1 billion, which includes design, right-of-way and construction costs.

Local resident Bill Green liked what he heard at the open house, which had about 10 ITD officials on hand to answer questions.

He said something has to be done about the increasing number of vehicles on the roads.

“I don’t know much about cars and traffic except there’s so much of it,” Green said. “They’re trying to help it get better. That’s a good thing.”

However, Green expressed concerns about how the I-90 widening will change the face and character of the area.

“Four lanes on each side, it’s like we’re living in California,” he said.

Ron Hartman sat down to look over a survey asking for public feedback on the open house.

He said he had doubts that the construction costs would come in at projections or work would be completed on the timeline presented.

“Obviously it’s going to take longer than what they’re showing here,” he said.

Hartman questioned if ITD had taken inflation into its funding projections and what the costs would be years down the road, not today.

“You’ve got to start out with a time-adjusted one to get an idea of what it’s going to cost to finish it,” he said.

There will be delays and there will be unexpected costs, said Hartman, who worked at Ford Motor Company for 32 years.

“Will it happen in the time window they say? No,” he said. “Will it happen on what they say it’s going to cost? No.”

But Hartman appreciated the open house and was glad to see they had a chart on “right-of-way process,” to explain what happens if someone has to give up their property to make way for the widening of I-90.

He said, through eminent domain, private land can be taken for public use.

An ITD chart with the subheading of “Appraisals and negotiation” read “Before land or easements are purchased, an independent appraiser will determine the fair market value which forms the basis of ITD’s offer. Then the owner and ITD have an opportunity to negotiate to reach a final settlement amount.”

Richard Cripe of Coeur d’Alene said he was glad to see improvements planned for what he considered two troublesome areas.

He said a driver’s vision is impaired at the I-90 exit and entrance ramps at 15th Street.

“You can’t see what’s coming,” he said. "It’s hard to see what’s coming under the freeway there.”

He also said there is too little distance between the eastbound I-90 entrance from U.S. 95 to the Fourth Street exit in Coeur d’Alene. It often requires speeding up, slowing down or sudden lane changes.

“It’s too much jockeying at high speeds,” he said.

The I-90 corridor study is funded by Gov. Brad Little’s Leading Idaho initiative.

“The program allows ITD to accelerate project timelines to address rapid growth and build critical infrastructure today that would otherwise take many years to fund and build,” a press release said.

Info: itdprojects.org/i90corridor