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Our future is dictated by several factors. Our
County Master Plan, the
proposed bypass, the widening of Highway 95, and roads planned by the state.
The most controversial of all projects locally is the Sand
Creek Byway. (Project
Web Site: Sand Creek Byway) Many are opposed, including the
outspoken North Idaho Community Action Committee (NICAN).
The project has been challenged legally, and the disagreement reported in USA
Today and the
Bonner Daily Bee, the
Spokane Journal, and the
Spokesman Review many times. (Article
4,
Article 5,
Article 6,
Article 7,
Article 8) While most agree some
sort of bypass is needed, a substantial minority disagree with the placement and
the environmental impact. Others feel that bypassing the city of Sandpoint will
hurt the economy greatly. However, despite the controversy, it appears the
project is finally underway.
U.S. Route 95 is a north-south
United States highway. Unlike many other US highways, it has not been the victim
of decommissioning by an encroaching Interstate highway corridor. In fact, US 95
is the only US highway to gain mileage after California began to decommission US
Highways in the 1960s, and it is the only US Highway not to end in California
after entering it.
US Highway 95 in the state of Idaho is going through a massive
overhaul. In 2000, Idaho started a massive reconstruction project on Highway 95
in the north of the state due to a large amount of accidents and fatalities.
Three main processes have started and will revamp the highway completely.
The first section, south of
Coeur d'Alene, Idaho from Fighting
Creek on the
Coeur d'Alene Indian Reservation to
Coeur d'Alene, has since been completed. It changed the highway from a two lane
highway to a four lane highway for approximately 10 miles.
The second section, from Fighting Creek to Lake Creek on the
Coeur d'Alene Indian Reservation, is currently under progress and will affect a
7 mile stretch of the highway. The project is expected to be completed in
mid-2006.
The last section, from Lake Creek to Worley, Idaho, is
expected to start mid-to-late 2006 and is not expected to be completed until
late 2007 or early 2008. This section is significant due to it being entirely on
the Coeur d'Alene Indian Reservation. The "new" highway will bypass the
Coeur d'Alene Casino, the largest
business on the Reservation, with the old highway becoming an alternate route
that will connect the highway to the casino and the more remote regions of the
reservation.
When this 20 mile stretch of highway is completed, the length
of the highway will have been cut down by about 20 miles.
Many more reconstruction projects are being undertaken in the
northern part of the state including ones between Plummer, Idaho and Moscow,
Idaho, between Moscow, Idaho and Lewiston, Idaho, and between Lewiston, Idaho
and Riggins, Idaho.
Articles on the Sand Creek Byway by the Lakes
Commission
Bonner County Sand Creek Byway Comprehensive
Plan
Idaho Transportation Department - Traffic
Alerts
Idaho Transportation Department - Sand Creek
Byway
Idaho Transportation Department - US 95
Garwood to Sagle
Idaho Transportation Department - U.S. 95
McArthur Lake Safety Improvement and Wildlife Crossing
Idaho Transportation Department - U.S. 95 -
Wyoming Avenue to Ohio Match Road
Statewide Transportation Improvement Program
Idaho's Transportation Future
North Idaho Bikeways
State of Idaho Transportation Plan PDF
N.I.C.E - North Idaho Community Express
& Other Transit Systems
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Even once the
four-lane Byway is finished, the Sandpoint Long Bridge will still only by two
lanes.
Highway 200 to Hope, Idaho is part of the beautiful International Selkirk Loop
and is a county maintained road. However, it is not always plowed until much
later than roads closer to Sandpoint.
Visualization of the Sand Creek Byway
Highway 95 Proposal
Sandpoint-Dover Community Walking & Bike Trail
Two-mile-long Walking and Biking Bridge across Lake Pend Oreille
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