ACHD's Road Wizard
Sunday, February 24, 2019
Who to call to report dead animals on roads; reason behind unfinished work at Overland and Cole roads; inconsistent right-turn lanes at intersections on Fairview Avenue and elsewhere
The Road Wizard Replies
Dear Road Wizard: I sent an email you answered about Kuna and Meridian "welcome" signs on Meridian Road. Your answer scratched where I was itching. Now I have a newer question, as I'm at a loss where to go or who to ask. I am a huge believer in dignity, so I promptly report when I see a dead animal lying in, on, or next to a street or highway. I moved here from Phoenix, Arizona, where you called a specific number. I truly can't make heads nor tails (no pun intended) who to call here or where to even find a phone number to report a dead animal.
James
Road Wizard:
Cats, dogs, badgers, skunks, the Idaho Humane Society's Animal Care and Control Division will collect them all. But pickup may not be safe on highways where dodging traffic is also an issue for humans.
Animal control officers do not drive around looking for flattened fauna, but people can call a dispatcher between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m., seven days a week. The number is 208-343-3166.
As for larger animals, like deer, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game is the agency to contact at 208-465-8465.
Another option is to contact Ada County non-emergency dispatch at 208-377-6790.
Dear Road Wizard: I was wondering if the construction on the Overland and Cole roads intersection will ever be completed. They never finished paving it, nor have they bothered to finish painting the lines and crosswalks on the parts they did repave.
Tory
Road Wizard:
ACHD wrapped up its right-turn lane changes at the intersection last May. "Free running" yield-to-traffic right-turn lanes were replaced by right turns ruled by traffic signals. This was done to reduce collisions.
Other work at the intersection is being done by the Idaho Transportation Department. A protective pavement overlay got underway that will extend the life of the interchange bridge structure over Interstate 84.
However, temperatures became too cold to finish, so work was suspended. The plan is to come back, weather permitting, and finish the job. The work will include crosswalks and other roadway striping.
Dear Road Wizard: I have often wondered why there isn't any consistency in the intersections along Fairview Avenue. The same is true for the roads intersecting Fairview north and south of Fairview. I have to try and memorize which lane I need to be in on every road at every intersection!
Jim E.
Road Wizard:
This is one of those questions that required some editing due to length, but the core of the inquiry is about right-turn lanes popping up at one intersection, but not the next.
Right-turn lanes provide a space for slowing, turning drivers to do their thing away from those who plan to proceed at higher speeds straight through an intersection.
But right-turn lanes aren't an automatic addition to streets, and cost is a big reason why. If the price tag for a turn lane includes buying and demolishing a building, a clear need must be shown for a right-turn lane beyond just an argument for consistent turning lanes at each intersection.
Intersection traffic patterns aren't always the same, and ACHD studies such things carefully with traffic modeling before expanding an intersection. Things like existing traffic volumes, future land uses, and traffic projections are considered, as well as business access and public input.
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Road Wizard
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