ACHD's Road Wizard Archives

December 31

Street paint/lane lines are "retro" reflective but may not show up well in dark, rainy conditions; top five reader observations of 2017.

December 24

Will ACHD remove snow mounds created by plows that block pedestrian access? Mother Nature not to blame for icy road conditions near Joplin Road and Ancell Avenue.

December 17

When to stop for stopped school buses; interest in removing parking on southbound 13th Street between Front and Grove streets; median island on Park Boulevard between Parkcenter Boulevard and Walnut Street comes and goes.

December 10

Why downtown Boise lane closures begin before the block where construction work is taking place? Pothole puddle on Avenue H at the entrance to Shaw Mountain Apartments repaired; missing crosswalk markings on State Street at 2nd Street reappear.

December 3

Photos show trees were never planted where strips of asphalt exist along Chinden Boulevard; stop sign bars will not be painted on Allumbaugh Street at Irving Street because the stop signs are temporary; a signal malfunction goes away on its own at 8th Street and Cherry Lane.

November 26

The meaning behind bike route signs along Kootenai Street between Vista Avenue and Federal Way; crosswalk markings disappear at State and 3rd Street in Boise; new street lights aren't lighting up on Ustick Road between Venable Lane and Linder Road.

November 19

Miles to Boise sign on Interstate 84 westbound from Mountain Home seems to gain five miles; utility companies pay for excavating roads such as Amity Road west of Five Mile Road.

November 12

A tunnel or elevated walkway across Main and Idaho street is not part of the St. Luke's Boise Medical Center Master Plan; emergency and other public service agencies prefer to keep a lane open during road work at locations like Pennfield Avenue and Edna Street; speed increase on Wright Street in front of the Boise Airport.

November 5

ACHD employees jaywalking on Cloverdale Road explained; temporary stop signs placed in residential areas near the Fairview Avenue/Cole Road intersection construction to come down; a dedicated green-arrow left turn would cause a mess at 13th and Front streets

October 29

Additional "right lane must turn right" signs requested for Main Street at Whitewater Park Boulevard; is the far-left lane on Front Street at 9th Street still a turn-only lane? Flashing yellow arrow signal requested at Parkcenter Boulevard and Apple Street

October 22

Westbound Cherry Lane at Linder Road delays should be helped by signal changes and nearby widening; upside of removing landscaping at Hickory Way for a right-turn too little; reader happy with more flashing yellow arrow signals.

October 15

Street closure sign declares impossible intersections on 10th Street in Downtown Boise; right-turn green arrow signal requested on westbound Chinden Boulevard onto Glenwood Street; "Do Not Block Intersection" sign and markings requested on State Street at Lemp Street

October 8

Blaring beeps from pedestrian push buttons; side-street driver requests additional HAWK pedestrian crosswalk beacons for all travel directions; road to nowhere on west side of Capitol Boulevard at Yale Street.

October 1

Is there a lack of enforcement of the front license plate requirement in the Treasure Valley? Traffic detection camera at Chinden Boulevard and Orchard Street/36th Street malfunctions.

September 24

Poor air quality and rain delay fog sealing in Eagle; "Right Turn on Red OK" sign will allow turns from both right-turn lanes from the Orchard Street off-ramp from Interstate 84; McMillan Road and Locust Grove Road signal giving preference to eastbound drivers.

September 17

Property owner who angled for angled parking didn't ask permission and must erase pavement markings; Fairview Avenue and Cole Road intersection construction didn't require speed limit reductions; Chinden Boulevard from Eagle Road to Locust Grove Road is scheduled for widening in 2021.

September 10

Water ponds along Lake Hazel Road near Apsley Avenue dried up; fix for troublesome asphalt wrinkle at the entrance to Interstate 184 from Franklin Road scheduled; large concrete median island on Eagle Road at McMillan Road was built to reduce turning conflicts.

September 3

Is Borah Street in Downtown Boise still a street? School zone flashing beacons obscured by vegetation near Garfield Elementary School; flashing yellow left-turn arrow installed at Milwaukee and Westpark streets; a right turn on red light is allowed from the left-most, right turn -- in Meridian

August 27

Is the pedestrian signal for people crossing Eagle Road at Pine Avenue turned off? Homer Road in Eagle doesn't have enough traffic or dangers to warrant street making paint

August 20

Truck drivers can legally ignore a "no compression brakes" sign on Ten Mile Mile Road near Ustick Road; extra-wide right-hand turn lanes up and down Broadway Avenue in Boise; reader suggests painting "BMUFL" on roads instead of using sharrows.

August 13

ACHD will fix winter-damaged sidewalks, and homeowners can coordinate driveway repairs with the work; long-standing warning sign on Swan Falls Road due to busted hinges on sewer pump manhole lid; no stop to some drivers turning right from southbound Broadway Avenue onto Front Street and quickly cutting across four lanes to use shopping entrance

August 6

Reader wants ACHD to stop painting "sharrows" on roads and use advisory signs instead; the signal on Whitewater Park Boulevard at Fairview Avenue has a long left-turn wait that benefits other drivers; white "crosses" create question

July 30

Sprinklers turned off during work along Ustick Road ruined grass; the intersection of Shenandoah and Roanoke drives in Boise "springs" a leak; concern about flashing yellow arrow left-turn signal at Five Mile Road and Chinden Boulevard

July 23

Locust Grove Road gets push toward becoming five lanes; Camelot Drive and Freemont Street didn't get painted stop bars because the stops are temporary; sunken asphalt and stop sign change request on Janeen Street

July 16

The point of green road stripes at the Main Street/Fairview Avenue/Garden Street intersection; the benefits of green left-turn-arrow signals coming after through-traffic green; view of oncoming traffic turning left from Laramie Place onto Eastgate Drive meets requirements but speeding is a problem

July 9

Reader says wrong-side-of-the-road parking more common in the Treasure Valley; pedestrian signal on Ustick Road near Ash Park Lane not likely to be replaced with a HAWK signal any time soon; meaning of yellow "trucks" signs at intersection lane designations

July 2

Concrete drop off will be made smooth as construction progresses at the Fairview Avenue and Cole Road intersection; no left-turn exits make it tough for Cloverdale Road residents to get home from a gas station at Franklin Road; despite great effort, it's tough to prevent illegal parking at the Simplot Sports Complex

June 25

Too little green light time for left-turn backups at Curtis Road and Chinden Boulevard; left turns on red light at Whitewater Park Boulevard onto Fairview Avenue no longer allowed; sinkholes filled after lost phone messages

June 18

Will ACHD handle Kuna subdivision weeds? Still sandy from winter in hilly Boise cul-de-sac; questions about 20 mph speed limit on 36th Street heading to the hills in Boise

June 11

Who goes first when drivers arrive at roundabout entrances at the same time? Flashing yellow arrow requested for eastbound Overland Road at Entertainment Avenue; ACHD street sweepers visit all locations equally instead of spending extra time in north Boise neighborhoods

June 4

"No Thru Trucks" sign requested for Everett Street near Fairview Avenue; timing of the traffic signal at Emerald Street and Curtis Road fixed after malfunctions; hairpin turn on Seamans Gulch Road to remain

May 28

Storm drains are working but overwhelmed on flooded Barber Valley Way in East Boise; bicyclist nearly hit on Emerald Street near Cole Road by drivers entering bike lane to sneak a peak at congestion ahead; reader reports fear of flashing yellow left-turn arrows.

May 21

Burnett Drive posted as Quercus Avenue but goes back to Burnett by bending the rules; trick for worn-out sandbag-filling folks; residents should safeguard storm drains to avoid flooding; Road Wizard column has new link on a new page.

May 14

Reader watches speeding and crashes at Curtis Road and Northview Street and hopes for a sign; construction signs said to cause hazards at Keldoon Avenue and Braemere Road; overkill sweeping reported for small subdivision at Coleen Drive.

May 7

Reader suggests changes to deal with soccer-game congestion at Simplot Sports Complex and Lake Forest Drive; sweeper trucks continue to visit bike lanes on Five Mile Road and Emerald Street; "Tell Us" no longer an email service but now an online form.

April 30

Records Avenue extension opened, closed, then opened for good; Orchard Street and Victory Road intersection signal stuck in "constant call" mode; road sign issues; Idaho law regarding intersection entry

April 23

Warm Springs Avenue closure due to loose rocks off the Mesa causes traffic congestion at Broadway Avenue; property owner not allowed to restrict parking with big rocks and non-regulartory signs on Bogus Basin Road near Corrals Trail.

April 16

Chip seal chipped away by plows on Highland View Drive; date requested for traction sand removal near Columbia and Cloverdale roads; frustration with drivers who don't pull into intersection at left-turn, flashing yellow arrow signals.

April 09

Capitol and Royal boulevards signal timing creates consternation; U-turn proposal could create more confusion and break law; will the Stops stay at Lake Hazel and Cole roads?

April 02

Signal timing at Front and 6th streets in Boise was changed to improve traffic flow on Front; speed limit sign requested for Spangler Place in Eagle; new lane lines on Veterans Memorial Parkway causing confusion despite fresh paint.

March 26

Old lane lines reappear on Veterans Memorial Parkway heading to State Street and cause confusion; speeding prompts speed bump hopes for Artesian Road in Eagle; were the new stop signs on Allumbaugh Street put in place for the new apartments?

March 19

Request for speed bump on Apricot Drive at the entry of the Solterra Subdivision; obsolete "NO Outlet" sign at Paint Drive and Kanaka Way; signal requested at Allumbaugh Street and Fairview Avenue.

March 12

Cyclist deals with sandy shoulders on Five Mile Road and Emerald Street; the reason for appearance of stop signs on Shaw Mountain Road at Shenandoah Drive; differing speed limits on 27th and 28th streets detailed.

March 05

Reader searches for reason behind sudden stop signs on Camelot Drive and Allumbaugh Street in Boise; do road agencies automatically close right-turn lanes before an intersection when the lane disappears on the other side?

February 26

Misspelled yield sign replaced at 9th and Jefferson streets; ACHD is two weeks into traction sand pickup; left-turning driver on Idaho 44 heading to southbound Eagle Road asks for more green time.

February 19

Closed-lane adjustment on Front Street in Downtown Boise; no more "No Parking" signs for Magic View Drive at Allen Street in Meridian.

February 12

Should the closed section of Warm Springs Avenue below the Warm Springs Mesa be closed permanently? Weather creates inverted speed bump on Jefferson Street between 5th and 6th streets in Boise.

February 05

Signal request for Eagle Road/Presidential Drive; Highplace Place is really a "Lane" in Star; drivers needs to watch for pedestrians before cross traffic at Road Meadows Drive and Five Mile Road.

January 29

Private streets and snow -- will a government agency step in? Fear of delays for employees leaving new Simplot headquarters in Downtown Boise.

January 22

Concern about snow-and-ice covered sidewalks and pedestrians, weather-related trench trouble on Meridian Road between Ustick and McMillan roads; readers thank ACHD for working hard to clear snow-covered residential roads.

January 15

ACHD plows reach neighborhoods and review underway for possible quicker responses; snow-covered lane lines likely messed with signal at Edgewood Lane and Idaho 44; debate over use of asphalt or concrete at heavy traffic locations.

January 08

ACHD plows major residential streets in response to 30-year storm event; the reason ice rings form around manholes; ACHD loath to consider landscaped media on Parkcenter Boulevard for simply looks.