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ITD seeks comment on Rathdrum project |
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January 16, 2018 |
The Idaho Transportation Department invites the
public to a hearing about the expansion of Idaho
Highway 41 from Prairie Avenue to Boekel Road in
Kootenai County from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday,
January 25, at the Coeur d’Alene office at W600
Prairie Avenue.
The $25-million project from Prairie Avenue to
Boekel Road is part of a larger project to
safely accommodate the projected growth of the
region by transforming ID-41 into a divided
four-lane highway from Post Falls to Rathdrum.
“The improved highway will serve as a safer and
more efficient north-south route to I-90,”
project manager John Vaudreuil said. “Expanding
ID-41 will enhance safety, improve mobility and
promote economic development in the area.”
The public hearing will focus solely on the
proposed changes, which are also featured on the
project website.
Improvements for this four-mile section of the
highway will take two years to build, with
construction beginning in 2020.
Besides expanding the highway to four lanes
separated by a grassy median, the project will
replace the signal at Hayden Avenue and add
signals and turn lanes at Lancaster Road and
Nagel Lane, Vaudreuil said.
Other features of the project include safety
improvements near railroads and the possible
addition of pedestrian facilities in the
corridor.
To enhance safety at the railroad crossing
between Hayden Avenue and Wyoming Avenue, ITD
will construct a grade separation so that the
highway will pass over, rather than intersect,
the crossing to limit opportunities for
collisions. ITD is also working with the Union
Pacific Railroad to remove the crossing between
Prairie Avenue and Hayden Avenue, Vaudreuil
said.
ITD is evaluating the feasibility of installing
a pedestrian underpass near Nagel Lane. The
underpass would facilitate foot traffic across
the highway, Vaudreuil said.
Should the county or nearby cities of Post Falls
or Rathdrum agree to maintain it, ITD would
construct a multi-use pathway along the east
side of the highway to connect the two cities.
Those who cannot attend the public hearing may
visit the project website to learn more and to
comment. Comments will be collected from January
25 to February 8.
ITD engineers strive to incorporate feedback
from meetings and from online comments into the
design of the project, as they have done in the
past.
Vaudreuil said previous comments from public
meetings and contact with property owners
adjacent to the project suggested a preference
for an expanded, median-divided highway and wide
signalized intersections, rather than
roundabouts, to accommodate U-turns.
“Public comment is critical to the project's
design and helps us deliver the best possible
project to our users,” Vaudreuil said. |
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