Time running out on Curve options
SANDPOINT — Time is running short for the city and ITD officials to reach a consensus on the U.S. 2 Curve project.
Council members again delayed a decision on a memorandum of understanding with Idaho Transportation Department regarding a preferred concept for the highway construction project. The matter will be moved to a meeting planned for the end of the month. Council members also requested a formal response on the feasibility of converting Fifth Avenue into a two-way street and diverting traffic from the downtown that way.
“I feel (this process) places us in a hostage situation: take what we’re offering or you don’t get anything,” Councilwoman Carrie Logan said.
The vote to table the issue came on the heels of backlash from public testimony regarding ITD’s preferred Curve concept. Business owners complained a lack of access onto Pine Street hurt their interests, and some claimed they hadn’t yet been contacted by ITD about the matter.
Others dreaded the prospect of a large roadway — about 80 feet wide at its largest point — being carved into the middle of town. Finally, potential displacement of Dub’s, a restaurant many people consider integral to Sandpoint’s history, didn’t sit well with other attendees.
On the other hand, the clock is ticking on how many delays the ITD board will tolerate before $7.5 million in funding is withdrawn. According to ITD representative Damon Allen, the board will want a signed MOU by next month if the project is to move forward.
“This started out as fiscal year 2012 funding — I’ll just remind you of that,” he said.
Some attendees and council members favored the possibility of converting the one-way Fifth Avenue into a two-way street, thereby diverting traffic from downtown Sandpoint. While Allen said he would seek out an official ITD opinion on the suggestion, he noted the idea had been unfavorably received in the past due to capacity issues.
Indeed, capacity is central to most of the differing priorities over the project. According to ITD engineers, they need to build state and federal highways to meet the highest traffic projections 20 years down the road. They selected the preferred concept based on its ranking in a matrix that included factors like performance, public input, safety, pedestrian and bicycle accommodation and more.
“The preferred concept isn’t what ITD wants,” Allen said. “It’s what the process yields.”
Meanwhile, city officials argue that traffic projections tend to overestimate by a large margin. According to Councilman Aaron Qualls, the fatalities that have occurred on Fifth Avenue should be a cautionary tale against constructing another large roadway in town, particularly at an intersection many children use to get to school.
“I don’t think we should be afraid to find a solution that works for both of us,” Qualls said.
City officials will return to the issue at a special council meeting set for the end of this month. They will use the extra time to thoroughly examine the proposed MOU and hear back from ITD regarding a two-way Fifth Avenue.