ACHD's Road Wizard Archives

December 30

Unauthorized driveway marking changes cause confusion at Fred Meyer on Overland Road across from Clear Creek Drive; top five questions of 2018 that resulted in local improvements

December 23

Idaho Driver's Manual inconsistent with Idaho statute on turning left on a red light; Millbrook Way and Eckert Road intersection will not get extra signage

December 16

Pavement patch on Fort Street near new roundabout causes concerns; dip on Beechwood Drive south of Franklin Street sign-worthy; gap on Meridian Road between Kuna city sign and Meridian city sign

December 9

East Overland and West Overland roads seem swapped; concerns about the view of oncoming traffic at Quail Ridge and Collister drives

December 2

Not enough traffic to justify a crosswalk/traffic light at the Verado/Ustick intersection; not enough pedestrian traffic to justify a pedestrian crossing with flags at 32nd Street/Hill Road; cut-through traffic at Millbrook Way and Eckert Road crosses Greenbelt

November 25

New Veterans Memorial Parkway/State Street/36th Street intersection goes all red; Ustick and Maple Grove intersection mysteriously loses a flashing yellow left; what's up with the new road west of Discovery Way that goes down from Chinden Boulevard

November 18

The mystery of tire tread; speed limit signs on Eckert Road; slowing down vehicles detouring on Bloom Street; dip in pavement at Ten Mile and Victory Roads

November 11

Holes on corner of State Street and Ulmer Lane; no-parking signs linger too long between Jefferson and State streets; tree trimming at the stop signs at 31st and Irene streets; delineator posts at the Fairview Avenue and Stonehenge Way intersection

November 4

Flashing yellow arrow left-turn signal eliminated at Americana Boulevard/Latah/Emerald intersection; shiny pole at Broadway Avenue and Iowa Street; traffic detection cameras not fooled by parking lot exiting at Ustick Road near Eagle Road

October 28

Who is responsible for unclogging storm drains like the one on the southeast corner of Wesley Drive and Milwaukee Street? Congestion issues should improve soon on Glenwood Street

October 21

Developer of a large distribution center in Nampa will need to make road improvements to handle extra traffic; an all-way stop at Royal Boulevard and Lusk Street in not planned; part of Broadway Avenue was resurfaced with a "micro seal"

October 14

Apartment complex goes in at Federal Way and Targee Street; roads without sidewalks are fair under the Americans with Disabilities Act; fire station emergency signal is triggered by the push of a button

October 7

Locust Grove and Franklin road intersection crosswalk is activated every cycle even without pedestrians; Coffey Street and Chinden Boulevard signal request; misleading sign at Avenue B and Jefferson Street

September 30

Cloverdale Road overpass; cul-de-sacs are not chip sealed; smooth work by ACHD

September 23

Boise's downtown gets a pass on chip sealing; no current plans to close Harrison Boulevard for Halloween night; flashing yellow arrow and pedestrians at Chinden Boulevard and Linder Road intersection

September 16

Harrison Boulevard walking experience compared to strolling a cruise ship's deck in high seas; wide bike lane/shoulder pavement at Hill Road and Seamans Gulch Road creates confusion; Idaho 55 to Idaho 44 now has a two-lane merge sign - how about other locations?

September 9

Mini-stripes painted on resurfaced roads; signal changes improve traffic for the southbound left turn at Franklin and Cloverdale roads; ACHD sweeps up sidewalk chip seal rocks; "detour ahead" signs placed on roads without a detour ahead

September 2

School crossing guard concerned about lack of speed limit signs on Park Center Boulevard; reader suggests mats as way to deal with manhole covers below street grade; reader reacts to the new intersection at Idaho 16 and Beacon Light Road

August 26

Update on possibility of another Boise River bridge crossing; trucks hauling dirt as part of construction on Crescent Rim Drive; metal plate on Amity Road near Cole Road considered a hazard by reader

August 19

Thumbs up for chip sealing, but it isn't being used on Emerald and 11th streets; creating a through/left-turn option lane on Idaho Street onto 9th Street could double the trouble; radar vehicle speed display signs will not double as speeding ticket technology

August 12

Reasons why manhole covers aren't always level with the road surface; "dogbone" roundabout on Hill Road kicking congestion can down the street, says reader; 16th Street and Hays intersection signal operates in its own world

August 5

Dead trees and weeds in the median island where Ustick Road drops down to Curtis Road in Garden City; chip seal crews skip 44th Street in Garden City but will return; frequent truck parking in bike lane on Yamhill Road between Federal Way and Lake Forest Drive; dirt parking area involved in signal malfunction at Beacon Street and Park Center Boulevard

July 29

Request for flashing yellow left-turn arrow at Cloverdale and Franklin roads during overpass closure; bike lane signs but no bike lanes along Victory Road approaching Federal Way; who should be trimming weeds along roads?

July 22

"Otta Seal" mistaken for a chip seal on the north-most section of Eagle Road; loud, repetitive beeping sound near Highlands Elementary School on Curling Drive; reader asks for clarification on the response to a request for an upgraded pedestrian signal on Warm Springs Avenue.

July 15

Planned rebuild of the Cloverdale Road overpass advances road widening on either side of the damaged structure; "No Parking" signs placed on popular Boise River access on Warm Spring Avenue near the intersection of Windsong Drive.

July 8

A right-turn-only lane on westbound Parkcenter Boulevard at Park Boulevard would increase overall intersection delays; Broadway Avenue off-ramp and under Federal Way in need of cleaning; left turns will not be restricted from Coffey Street onto Chinden Boulevard

July 1

Willowbrook/Willow Brook signs in Meridian will be replaced; practical reason for left-turn wait at Fairview and Eagle roads; Adams Elementary School on Warm Springs Avenue isn't scheduled for a pedestrian crossing upgrade.

June 24

Passing on the right to get around motorists turning left by using a bike lane is legal if done safely; request for permanent digital speed feedback sign on Division Avenue; there aren't any practical ways to improve drop-off/pick-up congestion at Anser Charter School in Garden City.

June 17

ACHD properties at Hummel Drive and Cole Road get weed trimming after landscape work delay; new speed indicator sign placed in wrong speed limit zone on Columbia road near Micron; there is not enough space for bike lanes on part of River Street but ACHD has a different improvement in mind.

June 10

Wait time predictions for the two-stage pedestrian crossings that are part of the State Street/Veterans Memorial Parkway/36th Street intersection construction; mini-mystery project on Meridian Road between Amity and Victory roads

June 3

Contractor wrongly closes both sides of Bogus Basin Road sidewalk during repair work; crosswalk on 3rd Street near the Ada County Courthouse causes delays.

May 27

Flashing yellow arrow signal disappears in the morning at low-traffic Roosevelt Street and Rose Hill; westbound traffic lines up on Hill Road at Collister Drive due to a four-way stop and efficient "dog bone" roundabout; Cloverdale Road and Desert Avenue intersection not a candidate for a temporary signal during the Lake Hazel/Cole intersection construction.

May 20

Pedestrian pathway on Five Mile Road has a curved curb that seems to cross the path at Blackhawk Court; readers react to the bicyclist-activated crosswalk flashing lights at River and 8th Street in Downtown Boise.

May 13

The reason why ACHD will not install stop signs at Tybalt Drive and Montague Way in Meridian's Tuscany subdivision; yield signs to be replaced by merge signs at the intersection of State Street/Idaho 44 and Idaho 55.

May 6

Drivers traveling through the Victory and Amity roads intersections with Cole Road will experience less traffic trouble; Beacon Light Road and Idaho 16 intersection scheduled for a traffic signal this summer; a right-turn, green-arrow signal on State Street to 28th Street would speed up traffic but pose a safety risk to pedestrians and cyclists.

April 29

Right-turn lanes straightened out at the Cole Road and Overland Road intersection; bicyclists on 8th Street can activate crosswalk flashing yellow caution lights but still, must yield to motorists on River Street.

April 22

Reports of speeding at a request for more construction speed limit signs at State Street/Veterans Memorial Parkway/36th Street; obscured "Do No Enter" sign at unusual one-way grid on Freemont Street at Marcus Street; stop signs, base and poles removed by persons unknown on Warren Street at Michigan and Manitou avenues.

April 15

Reader suggest turning north/south suburban main routes into one-way streets; Franklin Road delays at Eagle Road during the evening commute can't be helped without negative consequences.

April 8

"Yield for Bicyclist" sign requested at Capitol Boulevard and Myrtle Street; a huge roundabout was considered for the State Street/Veterans Memorial Parkway/36th Street intersection.

April 1

Reader questions the design of the State Street/Veterans Memorial Parkway/36th Street intersection rebuild.

March 25

Overland Road and Roosevelt Street intersection has a longer side-street wait than neighboring signals; trash on Warm Springs Avenue between Windsong and Starcrest drives isn't a top priority for "Labor Detail" crews; ACHD to install "Parallel Parking Only" sign on Hill Road where people are diagonally parking and leaving vehicles hanging over the bike lane.

March 18

Reader board taken down on Bogus Basin Road; left-out turn on Americana Boulevard at Shoreline Drive will not get a flashing yellow arrow signal; origin of Black Cat Road name may be lost to history but Ten Mile and Five Mile roads likely named for creeks.

March 11

Unsafe parking still happening at the small business plaza west of the Hill Road "dogbone" roundabout; reader describes "jarring visual noise" at traffic signal at Royal and Capitol boulevards.

March 4

The reason there is no Five Mile Road interchange; "no crossing" signs at pedestrian crossing on 9th Street/Capitol Boulevard between Royal Boulevard and University Drive; property owner asked to prune landscaping at Boise Avenue and Division Street.

February 25

Resident on Boise Avenue between Apple Street and Law Avenue request signs cautioning pedestrians and Bicyclists about cars backing out of driveways; reasons why the through lane on Silverstone Way at Overland Road shouldn't also be a left-turn lane.

February 18

Bumpy pavement patch feared to become hazardous on Amity Road near the new YMCA facility; reader rates Boise roads better than those in Dallas-Fort Worth and gets project updates for Cloverdale and Maple Grove roads; merging from the ramp from Federal Way to Broadway Avenue to access Interstate 84 continues to concern readers.

February 11

More signs requested when two lanes become three on Protest Road at Federal Way; ACHD does not allow car dealerships on Main Street between 23rd and 27th streets to park vehicles on the sidewalk/right of way; yet another request for a flashing yellow left-turn signal on Parkcenter Boulevard at Apple Street.

February 4

ACHD sweeper trucks are working the streets during this year's mild winter; Collister Street north of Hill Road had a new-pavement construction delay due to higher-than-expected work bids; left-turn-only sign on Parkcenter Boulevard to Highland Street doesn't mean that U-turns are restricted

January 29

What determines the decision to construct four-lane or two-lane roads -- Parkcenter Boulevard verses Ten Mile Road? Franklin Road west of Ten Mile Road to Black Cat Road now has more lanes but no higher speed limit.

January 21

Request for a pedestrian crossing on River Valley Street to the Boise Co-op at the Village at Meridian; surprised reaction to the continued closure of the second left-turn lane on northbound Ten Mile Road at Franklin Road.

January 14

Afternoon traffic delays through the signal cluster of Cole Road at Interstate 84 explained; reader still happy about the new "dog bone" roundabout at Hill Road and 36th Street.

January 7

Northbound left-turn on Ten Mile Road to Franklin Road still works better with only one of two turn lanes open -- for now; new-style pedestrian button replaced at Cherry Lane and Ten Mile Road; road patching will have to be redone by utility contractor on Amity Road between Locust Grove Road and Meridian Road.