$2 per household per day.
I have been repeating that same mantra
for years. If every household contributed an extra $2 per day, we could meet
our unfunded transportation needs. But what does that really mean to
residents of Ada and Canyon Counties? What would you get out of the deal?
Over the next few months, I am going to
highlight our highest unfunded priorities – projects that we desperately need,
if only we had the funding. I’m starting with our highest priority, I-84 in
Canyon County.
It probably comes
as no surprise that Interstate 84 in Canyon County between western Caldwell and Franklin Boulevard in Nampa is the region’s top priority. Both
safety and congestion are serious issues and will only get worse as time goes by.
Between 2008 and 2015 alone, there were 950 total crashes in that segment –
that’s an average of 119 per year!
I’m not telling
you anything you don’t already know. We’ve heard your concerns loud and clear:
“The area is in DESPERATE need of repair
and widening. Congestion is a MESS and the road is totally TORN UP with deep
cracks EVERYWHERE making it a hazard for us the daily travelers!”
“I drove this section of the Interstate
just this past week, and was appalled at the condition of the roadway, which is
under constant heavy use not only by local residents, but also by huge numbers
of out-of-state travelers and truckers.”
“The Nampa-to-Caldwell freeway… is not
just a ‘cosmetic’ concern--it is a real safety issue, which must not be
ignored…”
“As a Nampa resident, I normally avoid
this part of the freeway because of the roughness of the pavement and because
of the hassles of merging onto it.”
“The 3-lane to 2-lane neck-down west
bound in Nampa is dangerous (crazy, impatient drivers) and congested. While
that bottleneck is truly an annoyance, I am more concerned with the road
condition between Nampa/Caldwell.”
What may surprise
you is the price tag: over $330 million, based on ITD's most current cost estimate. To make
matters worse, the longer we wait, the more it will cost.
What would
this mean to you? You
would have a less congested and safer commute. The current bottleneck where the
interstate transitions from six lanes to four lanes would be eliminated. Additional
side benefits would likely include relieving congestion on the Caldwell-Nampa
Boulevard and making public transportation services more efficient.
But, $330 million in a lot of money. To put this into perspective, in 2015 the Idaho
Legislature passed House Bill 312, which raised the Idaho fuel tax and vehicle registration
fees. This increase added an additional $95 million per year statewide. This annual
statewide total is only 29% of what would be needed to widen I-84.
I appreciate
what was accomplished in the 2015 Legislature, but it’s not enough to pay for
these types of large projects. I often hear from people, “you raised my taxes,
now fix it” or “if they really wanted to, ITD would find a way to pay for it.”
It’s not that
simple. Believe it or not, ITD doesn’t have an extra $330 million just sitting
around. That said, they are constantly working on finding ways to fund at least
part of that section of I-84.
With COMPASS,
ITD has applied for several federal competitive grants to complete sections of
the work. While those grants so far have been unsuccessful, we keep trying. At
the same time, we also continue to ask the Idaho Legislature to augment its
2015 increase with additional, sustainable funding so that this, and other much
needed projects, do not continue to get kicked down the road.
Don’t Let the Treasure
Valley Fall Through the Cracks
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