Ponderay glimpses traffic options
PONDERAY — Residents got a glimpse Thursday night into the future of the city’s traffic.
Consulting firm David Evans and Associates representatives hosted a workshop at Bonner Mall to collect public feedback for the future traffic circulation plans within the community.
“I think we had an outstanding turnout and got a lot of great suggestions,” David Evans and Associates senior planner Lisa Key said.
Indeed, more than 50 people showed up at Bonner Mall for the beginning of the open house at 5:30 p.m., with more arriving as the evening progressed.
Visitors examined maps of the planned changes to Ponderay circulation and talk with attending professionals about the rationales behind each decision. They also had the opportunity to share their thoughts by placing comments inside envelopes, posting them on a large map of the circulation area or emailing them to project supervisors. According to Key, she and her colleagues anticipate that feedback will continue to pour in as the word spreads.
“We’re expecting a lot more comments to come in over the course of the next week,” she said
The plan is necessary due to the spring construction of the U.S. 95 Sandpoint to Kootenai Cutoff expansion by the Idaho Transportation Department. The construction project, slated to begin in April, will add two lanes and a median to the current alignment.
Access to businesses on the opposite side of the roadway will be accomplished through strategically placed turnarounds. Finally, a traffic signal will be added at Bonner Mall Way.
According to ITD officials, the design is 98 percent complete, with some drainage engineering the only matter left to address.
That project, combined with the imminent opening of the Sand Creek Byway, stands to change traffic flow dramatically in Ponderay. The David Evans and Associates team is especially focusing on the triangle area, a Ponderay region framed by Kootenai Cutoff Road to the north and Highway 200 to the southeast. As a key commercial area for Bonner County, circulation planning will help keep the area navigable and safe from the heavy future traffic projected for U.S. 95.
According to David Evans and Associates representatives, one primary objective for the study includes the development of a multi-modal, access and circulation plan for the triangle. That will include improved access to Highway 200 and improved bicycle and pedestrian connectivity. The study also hopes to achieve a long-range, multi-modal access and circulation plan for both the west side of U.S. 95 and the area between Kootenai Cutoff Road and Bronx Road. Finally, the plan will develop implementation and funding strategies for the improvements.
Key said some of the common comments she received expressed a desire for strong bike and pedestrian connectivity — especially to areas like Schweitzer Cutoff Road and the Field of Dreams. Residents also want alternate access onto Highway 200 and improved connectivity throughout the triangle.
“One thing we’ll have to take a close look at is the connectivity from the east side of Highway 200 to the inside of the triangle area,” Key said.
In the coming days, David Evans and Associates employees will sift through comments and make adjustments based on residential input. After conferring with Ponderay city officials, the consulting firm will host another open house to showcase the developed plans.
“I’m really pleased with how much involvement we saw and I encourage people to stay engaged in the process,” Key said.