ACHD's Road Wizard Sunday, September 17, 2017

I agree. Additionally, vehicle bumpers may hang over the bike lane and block bicyclists. This location started out as parallel parking, but a tenant in the building asked the property owner to paint angled parking spots instead. The owner went ahead and made the change.

Perhaps in some parallel universe this would be allowed, but the parking is on ACHD right-of-way, and the owner didn't ask for permission. Even if they had, the answer would have been no.

ACHD contacted the property owner who agreed to remove the parking markings.

One reason the intersection is being reconstructed and expanded with more lanes was that it was often impossible to approach the crossing at the posted speed limit in the first place – traffic was too backed up during busy traffic times.

Construction creates further temporary slowdowns, so it was determined that a reduced speed limit wasn't necessary. Construction speed reductions are made on a case-by-case basis because arbitrary changes may not be respected by drivers.

The intersection is planned to be mostly open in late September, fully by mid-October.

The Idaho Transportation Department reports that a one-mile stretch of Chinden from Eagle Road to Locust Grove Road is scheduled for widening in 2021.

ITD has undergone a long-term corridor planning process for U.S. 20/26 with the goal of preserving right-of-way, which is space along the corridor, before new development goes in. The study is nearly complete and the widening work is planned to reach Caldwell over something like 20 years.

ACHD also preserves right-of-way after identifying roads that are projected for future expansion. Depending on the roadway, as development occurs, the developer must deed the impacted land to ACHD with or without compensation.

This is evident where subdivision fences along busy roads are set back a bit to stay out of the way of future projects. Properties where buildings were constructed prior to preservation may have to be purchased and torn down when road work occurs. That can be expensive and unpleasant.

As for the Road Wizard column archives, they are being kept up-to-date, but not on the old web page, the last bit of which is about to pass on. ACHD revamped its website, and the new Road Wizard page can be found by starting at ACHD's home page. Thank you for reading!