US 20: Chester to Ashton Environmental Assessment
The Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) are conducting an Environmental Assessment (EA) to engage the public and evaluate impacts, benefits and costs associated with roadway improvements and reconstruction of US-20 between Chester and Ashton.
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What improvements are being proposed?
The ITD recommended alternative would replace the existing US-20 two-lane roadway with a four-lane divided roadway and interchanges. In addition, several local roadways are included to accommodate changes to access resulting from the proposed project. Locations of these roads and interchanges are currently being evaluated in the EA.
*IMPORTANT NOTE: The Chester to Ashton Environmental Assessment is not part of the Planning and Environmental Linkage (PEL) study happening between Ashton and the SH-87 highway junction. This EA is independent of the PEL and following its own process and schedule.
What has ITD been doing? Why is the timeline continuing to extend
ITD has completed a substantial number of environmental surveys and wetland delineations as well as ongoing agency coordination for this EA. Agency coordination and reviews are an important part of the project development process. Much time has gone into this coordination to minimize risk to the project in the future and ensure successful permitting and completion of the project once construction begins. As of today, the draft EA is being reviewed by ITD staff. The study team has spent the last several months addressing ITD’s comments and collecting additional information for the draft EA.
Because this project utilizes federal funding, FHWA is a lead agency on this EA and must provide reviews and approvals of all documents and reports. FHWA’s review period will take place after ITD completes its review (mid-February), and the study team will address FHWA’s comments in the same manner as ITD’s comment resolution.
When will the EA be completed?
It is anticipated that the draft EA document will be complete and made available for public review in Summer 2023. At that time, a public hearing and formal 30-day public review and comment period will take place. Following the public comment period, FHWA will issue its final decision. Final design will likely be completed in late 2023. ITD is exploring options to accelerate property acquisition and construction, which may begin as early as mid-2024.
Purpose & Need
The purpose of the U.S. 20 Chester to Ashton project is to enhance highway safety and operations by:
- Improving highway capacity and level of service
- Improving roadway condition
- Providing safe, efficient, and well-coordinated access to and from the highway
The need for these improvements is driven by the following:
The Chester to Ashton segment of U.S. 20 was originally built in 1932. The current roadway does not provide sufficient traffic flow or passing opportunities to accommodate growing traffic volumes. The roadway has exceeded its service life and requires improvements to the roadway and drainage features as well as new pavement. Reconstruction will provide the opportunity to include design elements for reducing potential crashes.
Roadway Condition
The original road was built in 1932 and various projects have been completed to maintain its usability. However, the roadway has exceeded its design life and current conditions are rated as poor to very poor. Issues such as frost heaves, cracking, and rutting are commonplace along the corridor.
Safety
Unconsolidated accesses along the corridor increase the risk of accidents due to increased turning movements and differences in traffic speeds. Between 2013 and 2017, over 30 percent of crashes were same direction sideswipe, rear end, or angle related. As traffic volumes continue to increase, the risk of potential conflict points will also increase.
Highway Capacity & Mobility
The amount of traffic traveling the U.S. 20 corridor from Chester to Ashton has grown significantly. The current configuration does not provide for sufficient traffic flow or passing opportunities to accommodate current and future traffic volumes.
Public Involvement
• ITD has evaluated current and future traffic volumes, safety data, and other conditions in the area to develop improvements that address the purpose and need of the project.
• A key part of ITD’s evaluation is the identification of issues and concerns important to the public. Throughout project development, ITD will solicit feedback from the public on needs along the corridor.
• Alternatives developed will also be presented to the public and documented through the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process.