Proposed South Expressway and other ‘new and enhanced traffic corridors’ will be discussed at Tuesday open house
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The following is a news release for the Bonneville Metropolitan Planning Organization (BMPO).
IDAHO FALLS — The Bonneville Metropolitan Planning Organization (BMPO) is hosting an open house on Oct. 15 to help shape the future of traffic across greater Idaho Falls — including discussing a potential expressway south of 65th South.
The open house will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Idaho Falls Activity Center, 1575 North Skyline Drive in Idaho Falls. At the open house, people can learn and share feedback on a proposed plan to address the area’s traffic challenges.
“Preparing a high-capacity roadway study is a major step forward for transportation planning within the Bonneville Metropolitan Planning Area,” said DaNiel Jose, a transportation planner with BMPO. “We hope with greater input through our community and proactive planning we can position the area to move goods and people efficiently while supporting rapid population and economic growth.”
Current congested arterial corridors such as 17th Street highlight the need for this type of planning. The ongoing study focuses on selecting roads with the highest viability to support increased growth and providing jurisdictions throughout the region with the tools to preserve and build out streets to ensure efficient traffic movement, while also providing safe accommodations for cyclists and pedestrians.
“The work to create this traffic plan is the result of community input and strong collaborative efforts between Bonneville County, Idaho Falls, Ammon, Ucon and Iona, said BMPO Board Chair and Idaho Falls City Council President Lisa Burtenshaw. “Attending this open house is essential to learn more about the proposed plan.”
According to the BMPO website, “The High Capacity Roadway Study is a planning effort intended to help the cities and county preserve right-of-way for facilities that will serve long-term (25+ year) traffic needs. Proposed expressway corridors from the study are conceptual and subject to change under future schematic design efforts, which will include robust public input.
“None of the potential property impacts shown in the current study are determined, and the timeline for the proposed expressway is highly dependent on continuation of existing development growth trends. This effort is the first step in establishing right-of-way preservation for a new corridor, not right-of-way acquisition.”
For more information about the open house, please contact BMPO at (208) 612-8530.
BMPO provides transportation planning in collaboration with the cities of Ammon, Idaho Falls, Iona, Ucon and the urbanized portions of Bonneville County in conjunction with the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD).
BMPO is a federally mandated and funded transportation policy-making organization in Bonneville County. Metropolitan planning organizations were introduced by the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1962 for urbanized areas with a population greater than 50,000. Regional transportation planning expands beyond roadways, including pedestrian pathways, bike paths, buses, trains and more.
