Road project attracts interest, questions

When will the entire Division Corridor project be done and what is a lateral shift?

Those were the two biggest questions that came up during a pair of open house events Wednesday held by the city of Sandpoint to gather input on the project.

With the road home to everything from schools to senior living facilities, Division has become a major pedestrian hub. And, since the roadway is also the city's designated truck route, the number of conflicts — and safety concerns — have grown in recent years.

"I think the piece about the Division project that I'm most excited about is not only the safety improvements but that it shows that not every street has to be everything to everybody," Amanda Wilson, Sandpoint's Infrastructure and Development Services director, said. "And we all, I think, as a community, agree that Division really needs to focus on pedestrians and bicyclists."

And that community vision is behind the long-term goal shifting from Division being the city's designated truck route to a roadway that is more pedestrian-focused.

"This long-term vision, from a motorist's perspective, it's not ideal, and we're consciously making that choice right," she said. "And other locations may need to be more ideal for our motorists and less ideal for pedestrians and bicyclists that are just using an alternate route nearby."

The Division Corridor Project grew out of the city's road safety audit and Multimodal Transportation Master Plan, Wilson said.

Both the audit and master plan — as well as recent traffic counts — show a steady increase in the city's traffic, the Infrastructure and Development Services director said.

Over the past 20 years, Wilson said data shows that traffic in the city is increasing at roughly 2.3% annually. Based on the latest traffic counts, vehicle numbers in the city are projected to reach pre-byway numbers by 2030.

That includes semi-truck traffic on Division. Primarily, the MTMP calls for northern traffic to be routed onto Baldy and then onto the two highways instead of the vehicles utilizing the city's residential areas to snake their way through town.

The ultimate plan calls for a complete restructuring of the roadway to reflect its changing use to a pedestrian and bicycle corridor — and a shifting of truck traffic to Baldy Mountain Road.

"Our multimodal plan said, first, we have to get semi-trucks off Division because it's really a pedestrian corridor," Wilson said. "We have schools, we have a library, we have senior centers, the VFW is there. But really the catalyst, this plan, from Baldy to Fifth Avenue is to get the trucks off of Division."

That's the long-range vision — one that could take 10-20 years to bring to fruition. The short-term vision — and the project's first phase — would be to focus on the area closest to the high school and middle school.

The $250,000 Child Pedestrian Safety grant will be put out to bid in the next few weeks. The plan calls for construction to begin once school is out this summer, with work completed before it resumes in the fall.

"Just, fingers crossed that we get bids because, right now, it's really hard to say," Wilson said, adding that with numerous projects available to choose from, companies can pick the ones that work best for them.

"If we need to, if we don't get any bids, we'll certainly do our best to ask for a grant extension," she added. "But I have fingers and toes crossed that we don't have to do that. We really want to deliver on this project."

Under the city's MTMP, the long-range plan is to move semi-truck traffic from Division Avenue to Baldy Mountain Road before routing it onto either U.S. 2 or U.S. 95. That would free up Division to be what it has become — a pedestrian corridor.

A multi-use path would be constructed along the street's west side, adding a buffer zone that provides a place to store snow as well as acting the roadway's use as a pedestrian network. On the east wide, sidewalks would expand from 4 to 6 feet; again, creating a buffer zone between vehicles and pedestrians. Buffer zones would add trees and other landscaping to improve safety, separate pedestrians vehicles and give it a safer, more residential feel, Wilson said.

Right now, "it's a lot of asphalt — a lot."

With 1,600 students attending school between the high school and middle school, the Child Pedestrian Safety grant was ideal.

Sandpoint officials said the first phase would construct a new sidewalk, add a planter strip and realign the curb to calm traffic using a lateral shift.

Lateral shifts — think First Avenue at the mid-block crossing — using the curb line to shift traffic slightly in one direction or another, causing it to slow down.

"A lateral shift is a very common approach to just get vehicles to slow down because, subconsciously, your mind realizes that this is moving and I have to come back in here," Wilson said.

What the next phases include — and when — largely depends on funding and is contingent on moving truck traffic from Division onto Baldy. To make that happen, Wilson said the city first has to complete other projects, such as the Baldy Mountain Road extension from Boyer Avenue to connect with Fifth Avenue/U.S. 2. Estimates place the cost of the project in the $16-20 million range, Wilson said.

However, the goal is to get the projects as shovel-ready as possible when and if funding becomes available.

"If it's in the plan, then we can hopefully get it designed a little bit," she added. "If it's designed a little bit and we have it shovel-ready, then it makes us much more competitive for some of those projects to get funding."

For those who were able to make it to either of Wednesday's events, Wilson said there is still time — and several options — to offer feedback on the plan.

One is the city's Engage Sandpoint app, which is packed with everything from notifications, workshop information and city meeting information.

Another is through emailing questions to Sandpoint officials at cityclerk@sandpointidaho.gov, and a third is stopping by City Hall and seeing if Wilson is available for a one-on-one conversation.

In addition, Wilson said another open house will be held on April 27 at the Sandpoint Library, 1407 Cedar. Planned from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., the event will give residents a chance to comment on the Division Corridor Project but will also showcase the entire Multimodal Transportation Master Plan.

Information: sandpointidaho.gov