It’s a green light for Greenhorn Bridge
By KEVIN WISER
Express Staff Writer
Despite uncertainty about the size of a new Highway 75 through the Wood
River Valley, officials of the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) say construction of a
new Greenhorn bridge will proceed as scheduled this summer or fall.
ITD engineer Devin Rigby said reconstruction of the aging bridge is not so
much an issue as the width of the highway that will be connected to it.
Rigby in a telephone interview said the ITD’s plans call for
construction of a four-lane bridge approximately 64-feet in width.
However, Rigby said, "We’re still working on roadway issues with
the city of Ketchum."
Ketchum has suggested a 59-foot-wide bridge. That design would also
accommodate four lanes, but could be configured into three lanes in the event that a
corridor study under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) suggests construction of
a three-lane highway. The city of Ketchum has refused to agree to expansion of the highway
beyond the bridge before completion of the NEPA study.
A new, wider bridge is seen as a critical link in facilitating heavy
commuter traffic on the busy highway.
"We have majority consensus for five lanes throughout the entire
[2.5-mile-long] Greenhorn project," Rigby said. "That’s what we’re
talking to Ketchum about."
Jan Edlestein, spokesperson for the Citizens Transportation Coalition,
said in an interview that the local activist group is eager to see the ITD get moving on
replacement of the Greenhorn Bridge. However, she contended that expanding the highway to
five lanes beyond the bridge may be jumping the gun.
"No matter what some of the local governments want, the federal
decision-making process requires that an Environmental Impact Statement, with real
opportunities for the public to comment, be completed for the entire corridor before small
segments are expanded," Edelstein said.
Following a request by the city of Ketchum, Rigby met with Ketchum highway
consultant Darrell Wilburn on Monday to discuss roadway issues. Rigby said he hoped the
meeting would be a turning point in coming to a conclusion on the design of the highway
throughout the Greenhorn project.
Earlier this year, a Highway 75
improvements advisory group--made up of elected officials throughout the
valley—recommended a four-lane design plus a center turn lane for the entire
Greenhorn Bridge project, which extends 2.5 miles from Alturas Drive to Timber Way.
