ACHD's Road Wizard
Sunday, September 24, 2017
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
The Road Wizard Replies
Dear Road Wizard: Hello, love the column. I'm not arguing about chip sealing. What I'm debating is why can't they seem to minimize the disruption? We are on Briar Rock Court in Eagle, and I think it's been somewhere around a month since they laid the chips down. That's a couple weeks of putting up with the dust, and in our subdivision, and at least one other off of Linder Road, they have only fog sealed half of the roads. There's not much dust left anymore, but I'm constantly sweeping chips from the driveway and garage.
Brian
Road Wizard:
I'm glad not to argue over the benefits of chip sealing, and you won't catch me debating the reasons behind the delays. But I get it, the loose rocks on Briar Rock are annoying.
ACHD suspended chip seal operations during the stretch of terrible air quality this summer due to regional wildfires. This avoided contributing to the bad air and also protected crews from working in unhealthy conditions.
Then, the welcome rain caused more delays. With warmer, sunny days forecast, work is expected to resume this week. A final sweep of loose rocks, along with a fog seal, should be completed by early October.
Dear Road Wizard: The September 3rd column said "In Meridian, where these off-ramps are located, right turns from the left-most, right-turn lane against a circular red light are not specifically restricted unless a sign prohibits them. However, in Boise, police say the turn is never legal, even at circular red lights without signs restricting the turn." What about the lights at the westbound Orchard Street exit from Interstate 84? For years, there were signs that read "No Turn on Red." But then, as I recall, you could turn right on red from the right-most lane only. Now, there are no signs, which I and other motorists took to mean that a right turn on red is legal from either lane. But apparently Boise Police say it's not legal. Why were the signs taken down?
Terry
Road Wizard:
Both ACHD and the Idaho Transportation Department agreed that allowing a right turn from either lane on a red light at the off-ramp at Orchard could be done reasonably safely.
However, a right turn from the left-most lane does conflict with Boise traffic code.
A new sign will be posted that says something like "Right Turn on Red OK" that will make it clear that right turns are allowed from either lane.
That way people aren't breaking the rule, they are enjoying an exception to the rule. A similar approach is used at stop signs where a sign states "Right Turn Permitted Without Stopping."
Dear Road Wizard: Could someone check the McMillan and Locust Grove signal? When there was no traffic approaching on McMillan, Locust Grove would get a green light. Now, the McMillan green cycle continues for quite some time without traffic, and doesn't switch over to Locust Grove. For Locust Grove, the slightest break in traffic makes the light change to red.
Dave
Road Wizard:
There are many signal malfunctions that can be handled by the signal computer without human input. But for this type of issue, ACHD appreciates reports from drivers who have been experiencing trouble.
The eastbound McMillan traffic detection was stuck in the "on" mode. A technician visited the signal and replaced some parts. The problem should now be fixed.
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