Road closure 'dilemma' needs to be resolved

We have quite the dilemma at the intersection of North Boyer Road and Kootenai Cutoff Road. (At the entrance to the roundabout near the fairgrounds.) Normally, this type of traffic inconvenience doesn’t reach the status of a dilemma; however, here are the reasons this one is different:

1) This closure is not due to an emergency, necessary repairs, or the installation of underground utilities.

2) The closure is apparently (although no one is really certain) due to a new federal rule that roads have to be a minimum of 300 feet from any aircraft runway. North Boyer Road, even though it and the runway have been at the same location for many years, is in violation of this rule. Therefore, North Boyer Road must be moved.

3) The public received little, if any, notice of this project.

4) The signage warning motorists of the closure is woefully inadequate.

5) The detour route sends motorists around the sheriff’s office to the intersection of Great Northern (GN) Road and Baldy Road. While this seems logical, they did not take into account the trains that frequently block that intersection and the event I experienced last Friday at 4 p.m.

6) No one really knows how long this project will take.

7) This closure is in conjunction with the major road construction on Fifth Avenue under the trestle just North of town and the closure of Dufort Road and Lakeshore due to the collapsed culvert. Why this closure on North Boyer had to take place at the height of tourist season in the middle of summer is another mystery.

I recently inquired on local social media about this dilemma. One person stated that they called the city and were told it was a county project. The head of Bonner County Road and Bridge replied that it was not a county road and bridge project, as it was under the jurisdiction of the airport. The City of Sandpoint has not responded. This information further adds to our dilemma. Just who is responsible for this project? Why did it have to be done now? How long will it take before the intersection is reopened? Who do we call to recommend better signage?

My hope is that someone responsible — some agency, some jurisdiction — will see this letter and come forth with answers to the myriad of questions and concerns local residents have concerning this "dilemma."

JIM KELLY

Laclede

Editor's note: Sandpoint city officials advise that the project is under the purview of the Sandpoint Airport, which is administered by Bonner County.