Path addition talk fills meeting

SANDPOINT — Discussion about a potential diversion of the stretch of Highway 2 connecting Dover and Sandpoint dominated the Public Works Committee meeting Wednesday.

The proposed addition would run along the Fifth Avenue bike path and include a curb to keep highway traffic out of the pedestrian-heavy downtown areas.

“Right now, this is the city’s number one transportation initiative,” Public Works Director Kody Van Dyk said. “So that gives you an idea of how important this project is.”

However, the proposed addition is only in the earliest stages of development. Public Works Committee members discussed options in the process of hiring engineers to evaluate the situation and draft a design concept.

However, since the corridor would become a national highway, the project requires approval at the state and federal levels. Members of the committee balked at the notion of hiring engineers for a period of six 40-hour work weeks only to have their design concept turned down.

Carole Richardson, a senior engineer at the David Evans and Associates Engineering Firm, agreed that there was some risk involved in undertaking the project but provided some reassurance.

“When reasonable people come together, I generally expect to see reasonable outcomes,” she said.

Richardson also suggested that the city consider a variety of concepts to prove to the federal transportation board that they had evaluated all angles. However, due to cost and maintenance issues, the committee  members, along with representatives of the Sandpoint Urban Renewal Agency, said they were reluctant to consider anything other than a three-lane street.

“This project needs to happen for Sandpoint’s transportation future,” Councilman John Reuter said. “The trick is to make it happen in a way consistent with Sandpoint’s values.”