Byway thinking is flawed

The frustrations of getting caught in traffic backed up for a quarter mile or more beyond the two highway choke points in Sandpoint — Fifth and Larch at the north end and First and Superior at the south — is causing a number of normally clear headed citizens to go off the deep end and wailing "Build the Sand Creek Byway now!"

Contrary to reassurances by the local propaganda office of the Idaho Transportation Department that construction of the byway will definitely begin in yet another six months leading to the resolution of Sandpoint's traffic problems, reason indicates that it's all hot air and wishful thinking.

Why?

By the traffic analysis conducted by none other than ITD, only slightly more than 10 percent of the vehicles using Highway 95 will use the byway. The other 90 percent are destined for Sandpoint and points west. Thus, even with the best possible Sand Creek Byway, traffic will continue up from the north and south choke points and get ever worse.

The ITD engineers have known this for years. Their first design for a bypass was a west side route presented about 50 years ago.

Unfortunately, local and ITD politics have managed to delay even considering a sensible bypass route until forced to do so by court action. Meanwhile, the ever more frustrated motorists cry out in desperation to build a bypass now even one that would certainly do little to solve their problems.

JOSEPH HENRY WYTHE

Bonner County