For the week of April 3 - 9 , 2002

Highway planners seek comments from public

---

By PETER BOLTZ
Express Staff Writer

Get out your crayons, your felt tips, your pens and pencils, and show up April 16 between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. at the Old County Courthouse in Hailey.

Parsons Brinckerhoff and the Idaho Transportation Department are asking the public to show them their "areas of concern" along the Highway 75 corridor from Ketchum to Timmerman Hill, at the intersection of Highway 75 and U.S. Highway 20.

The way people will do this is by marking on a huge map of the entire 27-mile stretch of the highway.

Diana Atkins, the PB project manager, said areas of concern are specific concerns people have about the highway, such as pedestrian crossings, driveway access, congestion spots and wildlife corridors.

These concerns can be very specific, such as, "This is where my kids and I like to cross the highway to get to the bike path," Atkins said.

Atkins is asking for this kind of public comment, because—as she put it—highway planners have a good idea of the general concerns about changing the highway, but they have little idea about specific concerns of individuals.

"We want to know where the alligators are before we proceed much further," she said.

The map, which will wallpaper the meeting room on the top floor of the courthouse, will show details like the location of historic buildings and the ITD right-of-way.

PB will also be collecting feedback on several documents it has been working on.

These include an updated annotated draft of a purpose and need statement for an expanded Highway 75, and an expanded list of the assumptions that went into its 2025 population and employment projections.

 

The Idaho Mountain Express is distributed free to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area community. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express will read these stories and others in this week's issue.