ITD is preparing for additional corridor improvements State Highway 75 between Bellevue and Broadway Run, with a focus first north of Hailey and second between Hailey and Bellevue, that will reduce congestion and improve safety. The project includes updates to traffic and safety studies, future corridor traffic projections, design refinements, and reevaluation of social and environmental resources.

The project is named the “Bellevue to Broadway Run” because that is the segment that is the focus of this work. The highest priority segments in order of focus are:

• SH-75 between McKercher Boulevard (in Hailey) and Broadway Run (south of Ketchum)
• SH-75 between Birch Street (in Bellevue) and Fox Acres Road (in Hailey)
• SH-75 and Gannett Road Intersection (in Bellevue)

The project name was changed from “Timmerman to Timber Way” to “Bellevue to Broadway Run” to better represent the geographic limits of the project and the location of roadway, transit, and multi-use trail improvements.

ITD is evaluating design updates to the SH-75 segments listed below:

• SH-75 between McKercher Boulevard (in Hailey) and Broadway Run (south of Ketchum)
• SH-75 between Birch Street (in Bellevue) and Fox Acres Road (in Hailey)
• SH-75 and Gannett Road Intersection (in Bellevue)

Although final design is not complete, it is anticipated that additional right-of-way will be needed for the project.

This project is being phased in order to accelerate delivery and construction in the future as funding becomes available. ITD has accelerated the construction of a new traffic signal at Ohio Gulch Road scheduled for Fall of 2023.

Preliminary roadway and intersection design is nearing completion for the segments listed above. The designed project features will be very similar to those analyzed in the 2008 EIS. Final design will begin in late Spring of 2023.

To address Idaho’s rapid growth and aging infrastructure, historical transportation funding was approved by the Idaho Legislature and signed by Governor Little as part of his Leading Idaho initiative in May 2021. This Leading Idaho TECM Program allows ITD to make deliberate investments in critical corridors to create greater connectivity for all citizens of Idaho.

Transportation Expansion and Congestion Mitigation.

In 2021, Idaho Legislature increased ITD’s portion of the TECM fund to $80 million of general sales tax revenue. ITD will leverage these ongoing funds into a bonding program that could yield as much as $1.2 – 1.6 billion in projects across the state as part of the Leading Idaho TECM Program.

The Leading Idaho TECM Program includes environmental planning, design, right-of-way, and construction on various projects within approved TECM corridors to address safety and capacity needs on projects that will serve communities across the state.

No. ITD is taking a deliberate approach to advancing projects within the corridors that will enhance safety, mobility, and Idaho’s strong economy well into the future. While the Leading Idaho TECM Program is a major part of addressing Idaho’s transportation needs, it is just part of the solution.

Projects within the current corridors may be advanced into the design and/or construction phase but not all will be completed with the program. Focusing on corridor advancement now will allow the department to accelerate unfunded projects when funding becomes available. This funding flexibility will give the Transportation Board the ability to approve projects that address Idaho’s rapid growth issues with either the TECM funds or other state or federal funding that becomes available in the future.

TECM funds are currently being used on several planning, design, and construction projects. Additional corridor projects have been identified but do not currently have TECM funding. Visit the website for current information: itd.idaho.gov/TECMfunding. Idaho has a long list of critical projects. Many factors, such as construction readiness and benefit to Idahoans’ daily lives, contribute to when and why projects are advanced.

A reevaluation is a term used to describe a review of any proposed change in an action, baseline condition, anticipated impact, applicable requirement, or mitigation measure as they relate to the environmental document or decision (in this case, SH-75 Timmerman to Ketchum EIS and ROD[1]).

The purpose of a reevaluation is to determine whether an existing environmental document or decision remains valid and to update the proposed action with current information, which could affect the timing and funding for improvements.

[1] Federal Highway Administration, Record of Decision, 2008.

Federal regulations and ITD guidance require that a review of potential environmental impacts be performed when significant time has lapsed or other changes such as traffic projections or community development alter the previous recommendations.

ITD is committed to implementing a robust public involvement program to ensure stakeholders are informed and have opportunity to provide feedback. Unlike the original EIS process, the reevaluation process does not include any regulatory requirements for public involvement or comment.

ITD is committed to remaining open and transparent throughout the reevaluation process. Stakeholder input is key to ITD’s ability to respond to changing conditions since the 2008 EIS was prepared and to design transportation improvements where they are most needed. To accomplish this, ITD held stakeholder meetings throughout 2022, as well as a public meeting in Hailey, Idaho on November 15, 2022.

Summarized responses to public comments received on this project at the public meeting, on this website, and via email can be found in the FAQ section under the “Public Comments” tab.

If you would like to meet with ITD to discuss concerns, please email your request to: [email protected].

Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) considers a full range of traffic management solutions for intersections, including roundabouts, striping, dedicated acceleration and turn lanes, as well as signals. The decision on intersection type is based on many factors such as traffic volumes, turning movements, truck traffic, and pedestrian safety.

As part of the State Highway (SH)-75 Bellevue to Broadway Run (previously called Timmerman to Timber Way) project, ITD will modify the existing signal at the intersection of SH-75 and McKercher Boulevard to accommodate additional traffic lanes. Moving forward, ITD will continue to coordinate with the City of Hailey on design elements of the intersection.

ITD remains focused on improving multimodal transportation and transit within the SH-75 corridor. As part of that effort, ITD maintains ongoing coordination with Mountain Rides, including multiple one-on-one meetings. ITD also collaborated closely with Mountain Rides on the recent successful RAISE Grant, which provided additional funding for transit improvements along SH-75. Preliminary design includes bus pullouts and pedestrian underpasses, both of which are aimed at improving multimodal transportation and pedestrian safety.

ITD prepared a traffic study as part of the environmental reevaluation and determined that the two existing access points at Fox Acres Road and Countryside will accommodate the projected traffic volumes from this area. Additional access points may be considered in the future; however, ITD considers the mobility and safety of the highway in any decision regarding new access points.

The Oppenheimer Development is being considered in the current design. ITD will continue to coordinate with the cities of Hailey and Bellevue regarding this development.

ITD is initiating a noise study to determine potential impacts to sensitive receptors. Once potential impacts have been quantified, ITD will consider the reasonability and feasibility of sound walls. If the sound wall is warranted, the decision of whether to implement will be informed by public input from those receptors who would benefit from the sound wall.

ITD concurs that animal crossings on SH-75 are a concern and has taken measures to improve public safety and accurately track instances of wildlife-vehicle collisions. From a human safety standpoint, ITD has implemented the following measures on SH-75: nighttime speed limits, additional signage, and a media campaign to educate the public. ITD District 4 has continued to study other mitigation options, such as overpasses and detection systems, each of which has been determined to be a costly and complex tactic to implement. Successful wildlife crossings tend to be located in more remote areas than the SH-75 corridor between Bellevue and Ketchum, as many miles of unbroken fence up to 10 feet in height must line the roadway to guide and allow animals to cross at designated locations. The challenge in the Wood River Valley is that there are multiple driveways and roadways entering SH-75 that would allow animals to continue to enter the roadway, thereby trapping them within the corridor. Further, Idaho Fish and Game has communicated that the most successful animal passages are those that coincide with natural funnel areas such as drainages and known migration areas. The Wood River Valley, in contrast, is a wintering ground where animals can be found in multiple locations, with no established migration route to centralize and focus mitigation tactics. On the topic of detection systems, early data from studies conducted by Idaho Fish and Game demonstrate unreliability across all seasonal conditions (summer/winter). ITD will continue to seek new ways to improve safety by minimizing risk of wildlife-vehicle collisions, including further evaluation of modern technology and other methods.

ITD continues to monitor and track wildlife-vehicle collisions, animal mortalities, and the location of these incidents. ITD will continue to share animal collision data with the Idaho Fish and Game. These data are publicly available at: https://data-idfggis.opendata.arcgis.com/datasets/roadkill-observations/explore?location=43.812456%2C-114.142881%2C7.99.

The plan presented at the public meetings on November 14^th and 15^th 2022 maintained the existing centerline of SH-75 and widened both sides of the highway to develop the new proposed roadway section.  Because of public input, ITD has revised the alignment in two areas to try to minimize the impacts on the west side.  The first shift starts through the curve just south of the existing intersection of Zinc Spur and Buttercup Road to move the widening to the east side and onto the former railroad right of way that is parallel to SH-75.  Doing this shift, the existing connection of Buttercup Road will need be cul-de-saced just east of SH-75 to eliminate an unsafe intersection configuration, and the access to SH-75 on the east side will be accomplished with the extension of Deer Creek Road between SH-75 and Buttercup Road across the Peregrine Ranch.  The second shift in the alignment to the east is planned between Meadows Drive and about ½ mile south of Zinc Spur. The shift will occur through the curve just south of Meadows Drive at Mile Post 118, and then come back to the existing alignment near Cottonwood Creek Circle.

The purpose of the park and ride is to facilitate a broader use of public transit by providing adequate parking at a key transit node. The park and ride would be located on land owned by ITD and would not require any additional right-of-way acquisition. It is Mountain Rides’ preference to have the bus pullouts on the north side of the signalized intersection so that buses can pull out when traffic located south of the bus stop is stopped at traffic light. This configuration supports ITD’s goals for improved safety and operations for transit.

ITD has reconsidered and is moving the highway expansion to the east, starting at Zinc Spur Road/Buttercup Road and extending to River Bend Road, including Starweather Drive. ITD is currently evaluating additional opportunities to expand SH-75 to the east to further avoid property impacts.

ITD has reconsidered and is moving the highway expansion to the east and is able to provide horizontal curves adequate to maintain the 55 mph design speed approaching Greenhorn Bridge.

8-foot-wide shoulders will be applied throughout the project area, including Greenhorn Bridge, where there is currently an 8-foot-wide shoulder with a 4-foot-wide safety median.

The proposed signals are equipped with preemption detectors that support Opticom technology.