Nearly a decade of five lanes on Fifth Avenue

 Fifth Avenue was originally a three-lane road. I remember it. Sandpoint was different then, maybe even better. In 2000, the Idaho Transportation Department proposed to redo Fifth Avenue because it’s a highway. In the original plans, ITD proposed a treed median with intermittent center turn lanes. This was later removed from the plans to allow easier vehicle access to businesses along the route. The five lane road we have today was constructed a little later. It fails us in almost every way. 

 Fifth Avenue is poorly designed for a small town. Until the re-striping of the Highway 95/200 intersection, traffic was either standing still in the summertime or speeding maniacally through town during the rest of the year. This is largely due to the road design. Five, uninterrupted lanes give us a false sense of security. Five lanes make us forget that we’re traveling through a small town and surrounded by pedestrians. 

 Unfortunately the width of Fifth Avenue doesn’t equal improved traffic flow. Historically, we’ve faced traffic congestion during the summer. But take a look at the right hand turn on the corner of Fifth and Pine by the Chevron. At that corner, two highways, 95 and 200 northbound, come to a single lane stop at a traffic light. Yet, this intersection is only a minor problem. Two lanes are not always better than one. Our traffic problems are due to poor traffic flow more than anything else.

 Fifth Avenue does not protect pedestrians. Recent circumstances show this. Fifth Avenue and Pine Street divide the residential population in Sandpoint from our commercial businesses. If you live in Sandpoint and want to walk to a store, you must cross a five-lane highway. We have created a highway separating our neighborhoods from our restaurants and shopping.  

 Fifth Avenue does little to promote business or community. Fifth Avenue has no synergistic effect. When I visit a business on Fifth Avenue it is typically for a single purpose. I rarely visit or shop another business along Fifth Avenue in the same trip. This makes it harder for our local businesses along Fifth Avenue. Each one has to be a destination. 

 We need to improve Fifth Avenue. As built, the highway doesn’t safely or efficiently move traffic through town. The problem isn’t the traffic capacity, it’s the traffic flow. Fifth Avenue is dangerous for pedestrians and hard on our local businesses. 

 I think that in the next decade we should work to improve Fifth Avenue by doing two things; (1) build a treed median to slow traffic and (2) construct flashing pedestrian crossings. The byway will help too. But even after the byway, we need to be working to make Fifth Avenue better. It’s important for our town.   

 Stephen T. Snedden is an attorney in Sandpoint and a councilman for the City of Sandpoint. You can reach him at sts@featherstonlaw.com.