Pull over, ITD wants a word with you
Survey examines Highway 75 traffic patterns
By PETER BOLTZ
Express Staff Writer
Fluorescent traffic cones and flashing signs warned
Highway 75 motorists on Tuesday and today that traffic would be a little
slower on the morning and afternoon commutes.
Surveyors conduct their interviews at
the historic site pullout north of Bellevue. Vehicles were funneled off
the road and then smoothly returned afterwards.
As part of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
process, surveyors from Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB) began the work of an
"origin and destination intercept study."
PB is the engineering and consulting firm hired by the
Idaho Department of Transportation (ITD) to conduct the NEPA process.
The intercept study’s purpose is "to understand who
is using the highway, where they are coming from and where they are going,
why they are traveling and when."
Surveyors began the first stage of the study on Tuesday at
the history information sign turnout north of Bellevue.
Matt Miller, an assistant engineer for PB at the site,
said that his crew had been at work since 6:30 a.m. and would stay at work
until 4 p.m.
The survey took no more than four
minutes and afterwards drivers were rewarded with a dry marker board. Express
photos by Willy Cook
Although bad tempers might have been expected for the
delay of the survey, Miller said that everyone had been "excited to
give their input and were very nice and cooperative."
The survey asks people where they had just come from at
the time of their "interception" and where they were going.
Besides asking motorists for the zip codes of their home
and workplace, they were also asked to locate their homes on a map and to
identify the landmark or major intersection near their homes and
workplaces.
Motorists were also asked if they would also participate
in a later phone interview. Those who agreed were asked for their names
and a daytime phone number.
As a "reward" for answering the survey,
participants were given a magnetized dry marker board about the size of a
sheet of paper—a pen was included.
Miller said he hoped to collect 300 surveys on Tuesday and
another 300 today.
Today’s interview began at 6:30 a.m. and will end at 4
p.m. Instead of the intercept at the historic marker north of Bellevue, PB
set up its intercept at the old weigh station along Highway 75 north of
the Ohio Gulch entrance.
A second intercept study will be conducted in July or
August to gather information about summer traffic and highway users.
Surveyors had little yellow cards for those who wanted
more information on the intercept study. The card gave Diana Atkins’
number, 801-288-3227; or Chuck Carnohan’s, 208-886-7895.
