ITD, city differ on Curve construction options

SANDPOINT — Clear differences in priorities between city officials and U.S. 2 Curve planners slowed discussion over a construction project Thursday.

City staff and council members met with Idaho Transportation Department personnel in an attempt to reach common ground regarding the Curve extension, a change to local roadways that will transform traffic circulation throughout the town. However, the two government entities have different ideas and goals for the project, and finding an acceptable compromise will take some work, meeting participants said.  

City officials are approaching the project with the ambition to preserve Sandpoint’s character, unity and viability for walkers and bicyclists by acting according to the city’s comprehensive plan. ITD officials, meanwhile, want to make sure the highway extension is built to accommodate the highest traffic projections, potentially saving reconstruction costs decades down the road.

Much of the contention centers on whether or not the Curve will use a roundabout to control traffic. While two of the concepts ITD engineers presented to the public at a Feb. 28 workshop featured roundabouts, a preliminary design featuring a lighted intersection was identified as ITD’s preferred concept. However, most of the conceptual work done by consulting firm David Evans and Associates used a roundabout to deal with the intersection near Pine Street and Boyer Avenue.

“Based on the conceptual plans, that’s what the town wanted and that’s what worked best,” Councilwoman Carrie Logan said.

According to ITD officials, truck traffic posed the biggest problem of a roundabout from a highway perspective. Based on projections, commercial vehicle use could increase by two or three times within the coming decades, and project supervisors want the Curve to have both the capacity and the controlling mechanism to handle that potential demand without any additional construction in the future. They also pointed out that shortsightedness with roadways in Coeur d’Alene and Boise had resulted in serious traffic issues as the cities grew.

Jason Minzghor, former project development engineer, noted that as a highway being constructed with state dollars, it would be ITD that took the heat if capacity problems arose in the future.

“They’ll look to ITD and ask, how could you responsibly allow this to happen? How could you use money to construct it?” he said.

City representatives countered that there was no telling what the traffic demand and truck use would ultimately be and that they’d prefer a highway design that preserved Sandpoint’s character. As far as growth and development was concerned, neither the city officials nor the residents wanted the town to become a Coeur d’Alene or a Boise, they added.

“Quality of life is Sandpoint’s greatest asset, and that’s the root of our concerns,” Logan said.

Despite some fundamental differences, the two parties went through the city’s 40-point list of recommendations to identify areas of common ground. City and ITD officials will continue working together as the design phase of the project progresses.