Public hearing on tap for Wisconsin realignment

PRIEST RIVER — The offset intersection of Wisconsin and Fourth streets in Priest River will be ultimately be realigned, although the project is still in the early planning stages.

In the meantime, Welch Comer Engineers and city officials will be holding a public hearing on Tuesday, June 4, to get the community’s take on the project. Adam Dorsey with Welch Comer, the city’s contractor on the project, said they welcome any comments from community members on whether they support the project or not, as well as experiences from people who use the intersection on a regular basis.

“Just any type of comments about what they see on a daily basis,” Dorsey said, adding that it could be pedestrians who feel they are in danger at the intersection, or drivers who find it difficult to navigate — anything of that nature.

The overall goal of the project, to reconstruct and realign the section of Wisconsin Street to line it up with Fourth Street, is safety. By taking a nonstandard intersection and making it standard, it reduces uncertainty of drivers, which in turn drives up safety, Welch Comer engineer Matt Gillis told the Daily Bee last summer. The project, which focuses on the portion of Wisconsin between High Street and Highway 2, also aims to improve pedestrian access with sidewalk and crosswalk improvements.

The project is estimated at $1,217,000, with the majority of cost to be covered by a federal grant administered through the Local Highway Transportation Assistance Council. The federal funds of $1,127,673 cover 92.66 percent of the estimated cost, leaving the city with a 7.34 percent match of $89,327. As it is federally funded, the project is included in Idaho’s Statewide Transportation Improvement Program, with construction slated for 2022, Dorsey said.

The project dovetails the city’s downtown revitalization project currently underway, as Welch Comer is the contractor for that project as well. The downtown revitalization, on Main and High streets, includes improvements to sidewalks, parking, foliage, lighting and more. Portions of High and Main streets remain closed to traffic, though businesses are open downtown.

The June 4 public hearing is for the Wisconsin realignment project only and will be held in open house format. Community members are encouraged to stop by any time between 4-6 p.m. Tuesday in Priest River City Hall to learn more about the project and get their comments on record.

Mary Malone can be reached by email at mmalone@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow her on Twitter @MaryDailyBee.