For the week of January 8 - 14, 2003

Keep highway decisions in the open

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No other capital improvement project will forever change the entire character of the Wood River Valley for years to come as much as the final decision on how and where state Highway 75 will be widened and improved to accommodate more traffic.

Yet, the recent decision by the Idaho Department of Transportation and its consultants to drop further consideration of two of five alternative designs was done after a December workshop with unnamed public officials and without adequate notice to the public.

IDT might very well have satisfactory grounds for eliminating two alternatives. But the decision should be made after genuine public hearings where robust back and forth debate would prevent suspicions that decisions were being made in secret.

IDT has held a series of "open houses" where citizens can wander through a maze of illustrated proposals for Highway 75’s ultimate new design and write comments on cards.

But these are a far cry from, and a poor substitute for, public hearings where IDT officials and consultants would be required to respond to questions of larger audiences sharing views aloud.

By eliminating alternatives, at what amounts to an unnoticed meeting involving public officials, only casts doubts on the motives of IDT and its consultants as well as the integrity of the ultimate design decision.

 

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.