ACHD Projects

General Description:

The Ada County Highway District (ACHD), the cities and Ada County are working together to better link land-use and transportation planning. This vision, Livable Streets for Tomorrow (also known as the Transportation and Land Use Integration Plan), says what streets in Ada County should function and look like in the future.

Livable Street Design Guide Livable Streets for Tomorrow's goal is a roadway network that balances the needs of all users - motorists, pedestrians, cyclists, transit and people with disabilities - with streets that complement the built environment.

The ACHD Commission adopted the Complete Streets Policy, Livable Streets Design Guide and Cost Share Policy on May 27, 2009. The Master Street Map and associated documents were adopted on January 27, 2010.

Adopted Documents:

Background

The Transportation and Land Use Integration Plan is an outgrowth of the region's Blueprint for Good Growth, which is aimed at addressing the best methods to manage growth for a sustainable future in Ada County, Idaho.

Through the Blueprint for Good Growth and Communities in Motion long-range planning efforts, the public has stated a desire for better design of roadways and increased coordination with adjacent land uses. People have expressed preferences for roads that fit well and complement the built environment (neighborhood, downtown district, etc.). There also appears to be a strong desire for well-thought-out growth that avoids sprawl and ensures that basic services are in place and that the development does not become a drain on the prior residents.

ACHD's answer is the Transportation and Land Use Integration Plan, or TLIP, an attempt to better link land-use and transportation planning. In January 2008, ACHD transmitted drafts of several critical TLIP documents to Ada County and the cities of Boise, Eagle, Garden City, Kuna, Meridian and Star for review and comment.

ACHD incorporated the feedback from the land-use agencies into a preliminary plan that was taken out to the public in 2009 for review and comment.

The project began in June 2006. ACHD contracted with The Transpo Group and Glatting-Jackson, both leaders in innovative transportation planning in the Northwest and the United States. The project was fully adopted in January 2010 and was funded by Ada County Highway District and Community Planning Association of Southwest Idaho (COMPASS).

Below are links to various TLIP background documents. For further information, please contact ACHD's Planning & Projects Department at 387-6119 or through Tell Us.