Consultant Hales Engineering presented the Ketchum City Council Monday with a traffic study of Warm Springs Road. At the heart of the presentation was the issue of traffic congestion during rush hour and how the city can fix it.
There is no disagreement that rush-hour traffic on Warm Springs Road can be a mess.
According to Hales Engineering, Warm Springs Road accommodates 5,655 vehicles per day. That number is only going to increase. With three new hotel developments in the works, the traffic study predicts as many as 12,688 vehicles per day by 2025.
In response to increasing traffic, Hales Engineering put together a series of recommendations for the city.
The recommendations range from as simple as adding a turning lane in the center to as complex as rerouting Warm Springs Road to create a new intersection with Highway 75.
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The study also recommends putting a stoplight at Lewis Street and Warm Springs Road, placing raised medians in the road to help direct drivers, introducing more stop signs, and roundabouts at a number of intersections along Warm Springs Road.
All of the changes, however, are mere suggestions, and they would be phased over the next 15 to 20 years.
Mayor Randy Hall noted that the study was simply part of a much bigger picture.
"This is also all dependent on what kind of development we get and when we get it," he said.
After Hales Engineering's presentation, council members were still undecided. Rather than approving the study, they scheduled a special work session to discuss their options.
The council has yet to set an exact date for the work session.
