For the week of June 27 - July 3, 2001

Temporary traffic signal considered for East Fork

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"There’s a lot to be said for aesthetically pleasing projects."

Chuck Carnohan, senior environmental planner, Idaho Department of Transportation

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By TRAVIS PURSER
Express Staff Writer

To solve traffic problems caused by construction at the intersection of East Fork Road and Highway 75, about five miles south of Ketchum, "right now, we’re looking at putting up a temporary signal," says Idaho Department of Transportation engineer Devon Rigby.

Safety at the intersection and design options for medians on the new highway section were the two major topics of discussion among Rigby, highway department senior environmental planner Chuck Carnohan and the Blaine County Commissioners on Monday.

Commissioner Mary Ann Mix said she has received phone calls from motorists complaining about near-accidents occurring due to poor visibility at the intersection.

Rigby said the IDOT has a signal stored in Shoshone, but getting the signal to work properly in the congested construction area might be a problem.

In any case, he said, the IDOT should complete its work at the intersection in August.

Commissioner Dennis Wright blamed the problem in part on impatient motorists.

"If they [would be] willing to give up 20 seconds of their day until there’s a proper gap" in traffic, he said, then the problem might be alleviated.

Concerning the median, which would be constructed at four sections from Alturas Drive to Timber Lane, IDOT planners proposed four designs. The designs offer depressed or ground-level medians with native vegetation, rock, asphalt or some combination of those elements.

The commissioners favored a ground-level median with earth-colored asphalt that could be textured to resemble cobbles. The 14-foot-wide median would allow emergency vehicle travel.

"There’s a lot to be said for aesthetically pleasing projects," said Carnohan, especially in the Wood River Valley’s tourist economy where an aesthetically pleasing highway could "pay back in dividends."

Rigby said the first stage of the overall construction project should be completed by Aug. 1. By then, traffic should be moved back to the east side of the highway and half of the new bridge should be completed.

Mix said the highway curve near the East Fork intersection will be banked at a 2 percent grade.

IDOT plans to demolish the old bridge and complete the project in spring 2002.

 

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